Report: The twin digital and green transition is changing work life in many ways

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release 4 November 2024

The effects the twin transition has on work life are predicted to remain moderate in the coming years, but according to a report by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, they may turn out to be revolutionary in the longer term.  

The twin transition in work life refers to the implementation of the green transition by utilising the opportunities of digital information technology in the development of products, services, operating processes and work environments. Ways of using digital solutions include measuring and improving the ecological sustainability of processes, optimising the energy efficiency of business premises and predicting the demand for products and services. 

The twin transition will have an effect on employment in both knowledge work and many blue-collar occupations 

It is predicted that the overall impacts on employment of the twin transition will be positive rather than negative. 

However, the positive and negative effects on employment can target different sectors, regions, professions and organizations in very different ways. 

"Together with general climate anxiety, this can create concern, tension and resistance to the transition due to its anticipated effects on the labour market,” says Research Professor Tuomo Alasoini from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

The twin transition may strengthen the growth in demand for the type of knowledge work that requires a high level of competence. In the future, there may be a particular need for competencies combining both high technological and environmental expertise. There may also be an increase in demand for blue-collar and other occupations related to investments required by the transition in industry, construction and various maintenance operations, for example. At the same time, this can also lead to shutdowns and closing down operations in the energy sector and industry, among others.

Both of these groups at the heart of the twin transition have traditionally been male-dominated.

"One worrying development is the decline in the supply of workforce as age groups become smaller. The problem is exacerbated by the stagnated growth of the level of education and the increasing education gap between men and women, both of which can make it even more difficult to find workforce in professions that are in demand due to the twin transition," says Alasoini.  

Social justice cannot be bypassed in the transition

The twin transition is not only about boosting ecological sustainability, but it also has an important social dimension. Fairness is a key factor in implementing the twin transition in workplaces. In the long term, it may also have an effect on workplace productivity and the well-being of personnel. 

“How the transition is reflected in the well-being of people in work life, how different groups are able to participate in its implementation, and how fair its effects are perceived to be in work life will all be of key importance,” says Alasoini. 

The transition can also be promoted in ways that increase inequality in work life. That is why it is important that both research and wider social debate and decision-making pay sufficient attention to the ways in which the twin transition is implemented and how it affects different groups of employees

Read more

• Read the full report “The twin digital and green transition as a transformation of work and an opportunity for its development” (in Finnish): Digivihreä siirtymä työn murroksena ja kehittämisen mahdollisuutena (julkari.fi)
• The report will be published in English in November. 
  
  

See also

• The report is part of the "Understanding and supporting the digital and green transition as part of well-being at work" research project.
• The aim of the project is to increase understanding of the opportunities, challenges and impacts of the twin digital and green transition for use in political decision-making, extensive development programmes and the development of work organizations. 
• Follow up on the progress and results of the study: Understanding and supporting the digital and green transition as part of well-being at work  | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (ttl.fi)

Additional information

• Tuomo Alasoini, Research Professor, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, tel. +358304742577, tuomo.alasoini@ttl.fi
• Arja Ala-Laurinaho, Senior Specialist, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, tel. +358304742516, arja.ala-laurinaho@ttl.fi