Working Life Barometer: 85% of wage and salary earners find their work meaningful
Wage and salary earners’ ability to influence their own work has started to increase after a long steady period. Based on several different indicators, the majority of wage and salary earners consider the quality of working life good.
According to the results of the Working Life Barometer of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, wage and salary earners’ views on their situation in the labour market were mainly positive in autumn 2022. Several wage and salary earners said that, instead of reductions, the number of personnel at their workplace had in fact increased. The threat of dismissals and lay-offs was moderate, and the confidence of wage and salary earners in finding new employment returned to pre-pandemic levels. Young people and those working in the municipal sector, in particular, were highly confident of finding employment.
“It is important to focus on preventing mental strain at work and maintaining working capacity. Workplaces must tackle the risk of burnout and harmful stress with the most effective means possible,” says Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen.
Burnout and adverse stress a growing phenomenon - remote work is still popular
According to the Working Life Barometer, those in the youngest age groups, women, junior whitecollar employees and municipal workers experienced burnout and harmful stress most often. For example the female-dominated municipal sector is characterised by a rapid pace of work and limited opportunities to influence work.
Remote work and the use of digital tools for interaction are levelling off to a new, higher level. Especially, senior white-collar employees and those employed by the government and large organisations work remotely. The majority of those working remotely felt that they could have sufficient influence on how often they worked remotely.
What is the Working Life Barometer?
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 wage and salary earners. The data for 2022 is based on telephone and online interviews conducted by Statistics Finland between August and October in connection with the Labour Force Survey. 1,862 wage and salary earners responded to the Barometer in 2022. The data can reliably be generalised to apply to wage and salary earners everywhere in Finland and in all sectors.
More information