N.R. Mukimova1 , А.А. Nazarzoda2
Annotation:
The article examines the relationship between labor potential and the innovation potential of the national economy under conditions of digital transformation. It is shown that the classical theory of labor demand, which assumes the neutrality of technological progress with respect to employment, fails to explain the substitution of cognitive labor by artificial intelligence systems currently observed. Based on a critical analysis of the human–technology complementarity concept, endogenous growth theory, and the concept of learning by doing, a threelevel model of labor potential reproduction is proposed for the conditions of the Republic of Tajikistan. It is established that, given the current level of digital technology penetration in the country (55.8% in 2024), realizing the complementarity effect rather than the substitution effect requires anticipatory, rather than catch-up, development of the workforce training system. It is concluded that the innovation potential of the national economy is built up not through a sum of isolated measures, but through the coordination of macroeconomic education policy, sectoral mechanisms for technology adoption, and corporate practices of continuous learning. The practical significance of the study lies in substantiating specific public policy instruments that convert the country's quantitative demographic growth of the working-age population into a sustainable qualitative innovation resource for the national economy.
Keywords: labor potential, innovation potential, digitalization, endogenous growth, technology-labor complementarity, human capital, institutional environment.