Description
There are no established indicators or previously collected survey data on the effects of climate change and the green transition on work life.
Climate change, with its complex effects, is causing a comprehensive transformation in work life. The transformation affects individuals, organizations as well as Finnish society as a whole. In the spring of 2022, Statistics Finland carried out an online and mailed-in survey commissioned by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The survey study was carried out for the first time.
The targeted base group of the Climate change and work study were employees between 18-67, living in continental Finland. The sample was selected with a systematic random selection based on data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, complemented with employment statistics by Statistics Finland and ordered by domicile code. This ensured regional representativeness of the sample.
The sample size was 5,000 people. The data collection was carried out in Finnish and Swedish, targeting 5,000 employees between the ages 18-67, living in Finland. Between 14 March 2022 and 27 June 2022 a total of 1,917 (response rate 38.3%) approved responses were collected.
The study explored sustainability measures at workplaces, employees' views on the sustainability of their workplace and the employees' own climate-friendly measures at work. Respondents who left some question regarding background variables unanswered have been omitted from the data presented here. The dataset comprises a total of 1,820 respondents.
What do the indicators describe?
The survey explored the prevalence of sustainability measures in work life. There is little previous research on this topic. Actions and changes for mitigating climate change and realizing the green transition are needed at workplaces.
From the employees' perspective, workplace measures can refer to training or development of new working practices, for example. Sustainability measures are needed in every sector of the economy. Employees' understanding and involvement in the processes of change related to the green transition can support the effectiveness and social acceptability of the measures.
The survey form used the following concepts and definitions. Climate-friendly refers to actions that are sustainable from the perspective of the climate. Climate change mitigation refers to measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Ecological sustainability refers to the preservation of biodiversity and limiting human actions to the boundaries of the Earth's natural resources and the carrying capacity of nature.
A total of eight indicators have been opened for examination on the Work-Life Knowledge service. The indicators published in the service are:
- Expectations on sustainability measures of the workplace
- The employer as a sustainability actor
- The workplace as a sustainability actor
- Sustainability measures of the workplace
- Sustainability measures in the work premises
- Sustainability instructions at the workplace
- Sustainable commuting
- Climate change and occupational safety risks
The indicators can have different weights in different sectors and employee groups. The user of the service can view the distributions of survey responses based on eight background variables. The background variables in the service are age group, gender, educational level, supervisory position, place of residence, workplace size and workplace sector.
An analysis page is also related to this Work-Life Knowledge service data page: Employees' experiences on the development of sustainability expertise at workplaces.
