Abstract: The article is devoted to one of the urgent problems of modern society – the employment of graduates of higher educational institutions and the reduction of unemployment among young people. Thus, the object of the study is readiness for employment, the subject of the study is the process of formation of readiness for employment among students in the conditions of a higher professional educational institution. In the course of the study, the main reasons for the lack of employment of university graduates were identified and described. The article reveals the concept of "readiness for employment among students", describes the components of readiness that affect the independent solution of practical tasks in job search and employment. Special attention is paid to theoretical aspects in the formation of readiness for employment, the importance of organizing special conditions at the university aimed at forming students' readiness for employment in the process of obtaining professional education as an integral part of professional training of a specialist is separately shown. The novelty of this study consists in describing the essence of the concept of "formation of readiness for employment among students", determining the reasons for the lack of employment of graduates, substantiating the conditions for the formation of readiness for employment. In the course of the study, the authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to introduce an optional course "The Art of Employment" for senior students, which contains an algorithm for organizing and implementing the stages of forming students' readiness for employment. The revealed relationship between the use of this course and the formation of a competent, competitive graduate who is able to independently solve practical problems when looking for work and further employment has been confirmed in the course of experimental work. The article is of interest to managers, teachers and employees of employment departments of higher educational institutions, employees of employment centers and representatives of non-profit organizations.