Social and labour relations are a key element of any economic system, so the topical issue for Ukraine is the study of theoretical principles of regulation of social and labour relations in countries with developed market economies, namely on the example of EU countries, in order to improve the effectiveness of national labour legislation. Social and labour relations, depending on the way of their regulation and methods of problem solving, are classified into types. The type of socio-labour relations is determined by their nature and the way they are regulated. The world experience, accumulated by countries with developed market economy, has different models of social and labour relations in its arsenal. In order to regulate social and labour relations, the state creates a system of legislative and rule-making activity. It covers such areas as employment, social policy, working conditions and protection, migration and demographic policy, etc. In foreign social practice, three models of social state, and consequently social policy, have become generally recognised: the liberal (Anglo-Saxon), continental European (conservative Scandinavian) (social democratic) models. The classification is based on the principles of accessibility, coverage and income redistribution in social security systems. The practice of influencing labour relations with the example of employment regulation is considered, where the main objective of the financial influence on employment is to stimulate the retention of the elderly and the creation of new jobs, as well as attracting more competitive groups to the labour market This is done by creating the most favourable climate for those entrepreneurs who in their activities contribute to the realisation of social and economic objectives. The International Labour Organisation has maintained the position in its documents that there is no single model of social partnership that is suitable for all countries.