The relevance of the study stems from the rapid proliferation of new forms of employment in the context of economic digitalization, a process that is outpacing the development of adequate institutional frameworks and thereby generating systemic socio-economic risks. The aim of the paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of expert assessments regarding the current level, barriers, and prospects for the institutionalization of new employment forms in Russia, drawing on a regional case study. The scientific novelty lies in the application of a structured research-expert seminar (focus group) methodology to purposefully juxtapose the perspectives of two key stakeholder groups: labor market professionals (n = 23) and young people directly engaged in new forms of employment (n = 25). The main findings confirm a consensus on the relatively low level of institutionalization. The study reveals a fundamental duality in the perception of the phenomenon under analysis: professional experts predominantly view institutionalization as a "project", focusing on macro-level regulation and investment, whereas young people tend to see it as an "outcome", emphasizing practical guarantees, rights protection, and technological infrastructure. Both expert groups identify legal uncertainty and a crisis of trust in the state – an entity simultaneously regarded as the principal agent of change and a source of systemic obstacles – as the key barriers. The groups' recommendations diverge: professionals primarily propose systemic modernization of regulatory and analytical institutions, while young people express a demand for specific digital services and protective tools. A limitation of the study is its regional focus. A promising avenue for future research is the quantitative verification of the identified criteria and hypotheses using broader datasets
Keywords
digitalization, new forms of employment, institutionalization, labor market, comparative analysis, expert assessments, youth, professional community