Coronavirus raises job uncertainty

The coronavirus pandemic has increased uncertainty among wage- and salary-earners about their job security compared to that in 2019, but to a significantly smaller degree than during any other economic crisis in the 30-year history of the Working Life Barometer, published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on Monday.

Remote work, the use of lay-offs and support measures introduced for companies have alleviated fears of redundancy among wage- and salary-earners compared with that in previous economic crises, according to the preliminary data of the barometer,

“The coronavirus pandemic has hit the labour market hard. We have been able to mitigate the adverse effects by safeguarding people’s livelihoods and providing support to companies. However, the pandemic is not over yet,” said Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen.

Remote work increased markedly from that in 2019. About half of wage- and salary-earners (48%) had worked remotely in 2020. Many worked remotely more frequently than before. It is worth noting that the majority (92%) of those who worked remotely during the epidemic were satisfied with the arrangement. The coronavirus pandemic brought nearly a decade’s leap towards remote work.

As a result of the coronavirus, the workload increased for about one-third of wage and salary earners (31%) and decreased for around one-sixth of them (18%). The workload increased especially for women, clerical workers and wage- and salary-earners in the municipal sector.

The results of the Working Life Barometer show a huge digital leap at work. New working methods were implemented more commonly at workplaces in 2020. The share of people using electronic workspaces and instant messaging services in their work increased significantly from 2019. The change is visible in all sectors and socioeconomic groups.

Participation in education and the number of working days spent on education decreased compared with the last survey. The coronavirus time has moved education and training online, with more wage- and salary-earners studying with online materials in 2020 than before.

Conducted since 1992, the Working Life Barometer is a sample study that examines the development of the quality of working life from the viewpoint of Finnish employees. The data for 2020 is based on telephone interviews conducted by Statistics Finland in August and September in connection with the Labour Force Survey. 1,647 wage- and salary-earners responded to the barometer study in 2020. The data can reliably be generalised to apply to employees everywhere in Finland and in all sectors.