One in four employees believe that climate change will provide them with more job opportunities

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release 24 April 2024

Employees are more likely to be optimistic than pessimistic about the effects of climate change on the labour market, according to a study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. 

Very few of the respondents to the Climate Change and Work survey report that they are concerned about climate change leading to them losing their jobs. Instead, one in four employees believe that climate change will provide them with more job opportunities. In addition, about one in five believe that climate change could create more jobs in their own sector. Highly educated people are the most likely to believe in new and interesting job opportunities. 

On the other hand, the responses highlighted that many do not see significant effects of climate change on themselves or their own industrial sector. A significant number of respondents did not know how to respond to the questions concerning the impact on the labour market.

“There were significant differences between industrial sectors, and the survey provides an idea of what the green transition means for different sectors. For example, people working in information-intensive service industries or manufacturing are more likely to see new job opportunities,” says Research Professor Tuomo Alasoini from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.   

Employees want their workplaces to take climate actions

Based on the results, climate actions is not very common at workplaces. Almost half of the respondents indicated that their own workplace could play a more active role in mitigating climate change. This wish was particularly emphasised among highly educated people. 

Employees are also interested in working in more sustainable ways: the majority of respondents felt that they should actively take action to mitigate climate change. Approximately half of the respondents, most often those between the ages of 50 and 59, have implemented changes in their own work. Concerns about climate change also increase with age.

“The results presented a clear wish for employers to change their operations towards a more sustainable direction. However, almost half of the respondents say that taking climate-friendly action at work is not easy. Work is still rarely carried out or developed with a focus on climate and environmental issues,” says researcher Fanni Moilanen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

“Both climate change and digitalization create a need for renewal, and the impacts of these on work life are also intertwined. Our research project on the digital green transition, i.e. twin transition, will provide more information on this,” says Arja Ala-Laurinaho, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. 

Study: Climate Change and Work

• Read the research report (in Finnish, abstract also in English)
• The goal was to increase understanding of the climate actions of Finnish workplaces, the agency and climate attitudes of  employees, as well as views on the impacts of climate change on work life. 
• The survey was the first representative study of the entire wage-earning population on the topic carried out in Finland. 
• In 2022, a total of 1,917 employees from all industrial sectors responded to the survey. 
• The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health carried out the Climate Change and Work survey together with Statistics Finland.
• Previous publications can be found on the project page
  
  

See also

• The new research project: Understanding and supporting the digital green transition as part of well-being at work
  
  

Further information

• Fanni Moilanen, Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, fanni.moilanen@ttl.fi, +35850 576 1356
• Tuomo Alasoini, Research Professor, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, tuomo.alasoini@ttl.fi, +35850 564 6140
• Arja Ala-Laurinaho, Senior Specialist, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, arja.ala-laurinaho@ttl.fi, +35840 562 0906