Work life is becoming fragmented – livelihood and work ability are increasingly individual

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release 4 September 2025

According to a scenario report on sociocultural change by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, work life is becoming increasingly individual-oriented and diverse. In the 2030s, the ways of working, identities and perceptions of work ability will be increasingly based on individual experiences, values and life situations. 

Ensuring that this trend does not lead to inequality and the undermining of a sense of community requires that individuality is accompanied by shared understanding and well-functioning structures.

"New ground rules are needed as work life becomes increasingly fragmented. These will not come about without negotiations that also recognize the power relationships and the goals of the various parties," says Anu Järvensivu, Research Manager from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Livelihoods and ways of working are becoming increasingly diverse

In many sectors, the fragmentation of work is already the norm. For example, in the media and culture sector, agriculture and forestry, and the restaurant and trade sectors, a large part of work is done outside full-time employment relationships.

In the future, a growing number of people will earn their livelihood from several sources: projects, grants, part-time employment, platform work or capital income, and the traditional boundaries between employees and entrepreneurs will become even more blurred.

"Having multiple jobs can offer freedom and the opportunity to do meaningful work on your own terms, but it can also increase uncertainty and cause stress. When energy is spent on finding and enabling work rather than on the work itself, meaningfulness and productivity suffer," Järvensivu emphasises.

The fragmentation of livelihoods requires a new way of thinking about employment contracts, terms and systems. According to the report, concepts such as basic income and people's capitalism, should be included in public discussion more prominently. In addition, it must be ensured that occupational health care, work ability support and career counselling also reach those who do not have a single employer or permanent employment relationship.

Work ability is not just a measurable state, but an individual experience 

Work ability is no longer assessed solely on the basis of the state of health, diagnoses or physical limitations. In work life in the 2030s, an increasing number of people will define their work ability according to how work feels: whether it supports well-being and is meaningful and how well it enables life outside of work.

The change is driven by factors such as the growing number of mental health challenges, work life becoming increasingly individual-oriented and new values, such as the pursuit of meaningfulness and sustainability.

"Even the productivity of work is increasingly based on mental well-being and psychological commitment. Meaningfulness and emotions are not just private matters, but an essential part of an organizations' operations and sustainability thinking," says Ari Väänänen, Research Professor at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

The individual’s experience of stress or the blurring of boundaries are difficult to measure, which can cause differences in interpretation between workplaces and occupational health care. According to the report, there is a need for critical discussion on how research and policy steer work ability procedures and support measures.

"It is important that experiential work ability does not become surrounded by service systems that designate a constantly growing number of experiences as symptoms and disorders. We need ways to address the challenges of renewing work ability as part of daily work and renewing the workplace culture," Väänänen emphasises.

Read the reports

• This media release is based on the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health’s Sociocultural change report. The report is part of the Direction of Work Life series, which examines the development of work life by 2035. The other parts of the series address technological and demographic change and climate change and the green transition.
• All the Direction of Work Life reports are available on the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health website.
• The Direction of Work Life webinar on 10 September will focus on socio-cultural change, climate change and the green transition. You can register for the webinar until 9 September.

Further information

• Research Manager Anu Järvensivu, anu.jarvensivu@ttl.fi, 050 443 1706
• Research Professor Ari Väänänen, ari.vaananen@ttl.fi, 050 511 0530