A logical step in the development of the post-war world was the decrease in the proportion of rural residents, but in the Krasnoyarsk Krai this process was accelerated by the CPSU industrial policy: in 1971– 1990s the region experienced two All-Union ten-year constructions on the complex development of the region’s productive forces. Under the influence of intensive industrial development, the process of urbanization received the accelerated character; however the formation of the settlement structure was not followed by creation of highly organized living environment. The collapse of the USSR and transition to market economy strengthened disproportions of territorial development of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. Today the Krasnoyarsk Krai is one of the most perspective regions of the Russian Federation having great natural resources and a production potential. However, labor force in the region is dispersed unevenly. In many cities and rural settlements there is a labor redundancy while for development of areas of Lower Angara region there are not enough working hands. The problem of rational placement of labor resources in the region is not studied: there are only a few publications on this subject. This article analyzes the transformation of the settlement structure of the Krasnoyarsk Krai from 1970 to 2010s, the factors of change, the necessity of public policy on the use of labor resources and the change in the settlement structure in the region.