Proceedings of the International scientific and practical conference ―Science at the Frontier of Civilizations: Challenges and Perspectives‖ (December 27-29, 2025) / Publisher website: www.naukainfo.com. – Helsinki, Finland, 2026. – 252 p.

44 We believe that digitalization, if properly directed, can become a catalyst for gender equality. In particular, thanks to remote work and digital platforms, women can more easily integrate into the labor market. On the other hand, gender inequality in rural areas can be mitigated as a result of the implementation of digital inclusion programs. The digitalization of the economy clearly increases employment opportunities for young people. In 2024, the highest employment rate was among the middle age groups: 65-70 percent, 20-34 year olds: 41.3-63.7 percent, and the lowest among 15- 19 and 70-75 year olds: 9.7 and 18.1 percent, respectively (Figure 3). Figure 3. Employment rate changes by age group 2012-2024 and 2020- 2024, percent 1 [8] The data show that while the changes in employment rates for 2012–2024 are highly positive for young people, they are mostly negative for middle and older age groups. Thus, in the 15-19 age group, it increased by about 20, in the 20-24 group by 17, in the 25-29 group by 13.2, and in the 30-34 group by 2.9 percent. The largest reductions were recorded in the 65-69 and 70-75 age groups, by 25.6 and 41.6 percent, respectively. Obviously, digitalization has opened up new labor markets for young people: IT, online shopping, delivery services, and freelancing. This has especially contributed to the sharp increase in employment among 15–19 year olds. On the other hand, digitalization has enabled middle-aged groups to retrain and 1 The indicators in the chart were calculated by the authors based on official data from the RA Central Statistical Office [ 8 ] sources. 19,8 17,0 13,2 2,9 -2,8 -3,8 1,3 -2,5 -7,0 -5,1 -25,6 -41,6 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-75 61,7 9,0 14,3 15,4 16,5 5,4 11,5 6,8 2,9 8,6 5,2 16,8 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-75