Evolution of Approaches to the Interpretation of the Essence of Wages and Its Functions in Modern Economic Conditions

Socio-economic relations are one of the key elements of a market economy, since any production process requires the involvement of employees. In this case, the main element is wages as the source of income and a means of motivating people, stimulating their interest in the results of work. However, if hired workers primarily strive to increase the amount of income received in the form of wages, then employers – to reduce labor costs per unit of production, since for an enterprise labor remuneration is an item of expenditure and has a direct impact on the final financial result of activities. The purpose of the article is to deepen the content of the accounting and economic category “wages” and disclose the transformation of its functions in modern conditions. It was revealed that the low level of wages does not contribute to the reproduction of labor resources and is one of the reasons for the outflow of personnel from the country, that is, the deterioration of its labor potential. With the transition of Ukraine to an innovative way of development, there was an awareness of the decisive role of the mental and creative abilities of workers in the final results of activities. To attract highly skilled and experienced wage earners it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions: to provide the appropriate level of salary, which must correspond to the effectiveness of their work. The main approaches to the interpretation of the essence of the accounting and economic category “wages”, presented in the normative legal acts, and also proposed by representatives of various schools of economic thought, have been investigated. It was found that wages is a complex concept that requires consideration from the point of view of various subjects of the economic system, since it affects the interests of each of them.