Introduction. The rapidly developing consumer society, on the one hand, and the Russian Federation’s focus on import substitution, on the other, point to a contradiction whose resolution could either slow down or, conversely, accelerate scientific and technological progress. The main problem with ensuring technological sovereignty is  the acute shortage of qualified personnel. At the same time, the fourth industrial revolution has armed the economy and industry with innovative tools, the implementation of which is  intended to  replace a  wide range of  workers and specialists. Displaced personnel, unable to compete with machines and computer programmes, must find a place in the digital economy that allows them to satisfy their needs in socially acceptable ways, i.e., by earning a living through honest labour. This is yet another contradiction that requires resolution. These circumstances demonstrate the need to  develop a  new strategy for personnel provision for technological sovereignty. 

Aim. The purpose of this article is to describe the problem area based on a philosophical and economic rethinking of strategic approaches to organising personnel provision for Russia’s technological sovereignty. 

Methods. The study employed analysis of  scientific research, regulatory documents, statistical data, public opinion survey results, expert assessments, and public statements by officials; comparison of domestic and international experience. 

Results. The study undertook a critical rethinking of the philosophical and economic foundations of staffing for technological sovereignty. 

Scientific novelty. Against the backdrop of rapidly growing interest in the issue under consideration from specific subject areas of scientific knowledge (pedagogy, industrial economics, labor psychology, management, etc.), the authors for the first time turned to  an analysis of  the broadest possible context of  the new educational reform – the philosophical and economic foundations of staffing for technological sovereignty. 

Practical significance. The research results presented in the article can serve as strategic guidelines in  the development of  an educational reform and the modernisation of approaches to the formation of personnel policy.