The economic reforms that are being carried out in Russia have brought to the forefront a number of problems that have to do with the development of the social and structural transformation of society, with changes in the position of particular groups and strata of the population. It is in structures of production that local labor markets are being formed, with their own levels of supply and demand, the professional and educational potential of their employees, their differing levels of demand, and their labor conflicts and social tension. These local markets also have their own attitudes, changes in the social status of the worker, and people's readiness for psychological and other changes. For this reason these authors felt it was important to research groups of people employed as professionals in both mental and physical labor. These are the working people viewed as the category of professionals, the focus of this study. Included in this category are qualified professional blue-collar workers, specialists who have top and medium qualifications, and management personnel in organizations and enterprises. The focus of the study is on the social position and mobility, labor motivation and social outlook, and characteristics of identity of the group of workers who have received qualificational and professional training and are employed in positions that require specific levels of knowledge and education. On this basis, two subgroups of professionals were formed, differentiated by the nature of their work: those primarily employed in physical work (blue-collar professionals) and those employed primarily in mental work (professional specialists, including management personnel). In addition, a control group of nonprofessionals includes unqualified blue-collar workers and white-collar workers who are not specialists. The purpose of the study is to determine the position of these groups in the social and labor structure of society, to determine general and specific aspects of the typological characteristics and status features, and to compare the situation of the group of professionals with that of the control group of nonprofessionals.