The article provides an attempt to theoretically generalize the postulates of foreign classical sociological thought (E. Durkheim, M. Weber, R. Merton) as a result of understanding the social phenomenon of adaptation. The scientific positions of domestic authors on the features of social, socio-professional and labor adaptation are presented. Based on empirical data of the author's sociological survey of young people of Kazan (14–35 years old; n = 475) identified a number of conditions for the social and labor adaptation of young people and emerging adaptation barriers in a social and labor environment. The work also provides some data from the sociological study «Youth and Career in Russia: Ambitions, Opportunities, Barriers», presented by «VCIOM-SPUTNIK», demonstrating social and labor motives in the process of employment. An understanding of the priority of economic and non-economic factors of social and labor adaptation among young people, as well as the role of motivational and adaptation measures in the process of social and tour adaptation of young specialists, was formulated.