ADP Research Institute surveyed over 32,000 adult workers across 17 countries, including over 8,000 working specifically in the gig economy. Though attitudes and behaviors vary depending on location and the policies adopted by various governments, the report details the impact on employees today across five key dimensions of working life: worker confidence and job security, workplace conditions, pay and performance, worker mobility, and gender and family.
The data reveals several trends taking place across the global workforce, including:
- Worker confidence: Optimism is shaken yet persistent
- COVID-19 has dented wrker sentiment: although the majority (86%) of workers still say they feel optimistic about the next five years in the workplace, this is down from 92% last year. The impact on job security and optimism is uneven, with younger workers being the hardest hit. However, many workers think COVID-19 will have a positive impact on issues like flexibility and development of skill sets.
- Workplace conditions: Unpaid overtime soars and empowerment rises on flexible working
- Unpaid vertime has jumped sharply to 9.2 hours per week on average, up from 7.3 just a year ago. The amount of “free time” provided to employers is highest among hybrid workers (those who divide work time between home and the office). At the same time, workers feel more empowered to take advantage of flexible working arrangements: two-thirds (67%) say so today, up from just over a quarter (26%) before the pandemic.
- Employee performance: Pandemic puts employee performance in the spotlight
More than one in four workers (28%) report having taken on a new role or changing roles due to job losses in their organization and most of them (68%) received a pay raise or bonus for doing so.
- Worker mobility: Workers on the move as a result of the pandemic
- The pandemic has driven a shift in bth where and how workers work and live. Less than a year since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, its impact has already seen three quarters (75%) of the global workforce make changes or plan to change their living arrangements, rising to 85% of Generation Z (18-24 year olds). One in seven workers (15%) are actively trying to move into a new industry that they consider more “future proof”. Compared to one year ago, appetite for gig work - the most mobile and flexible work option of all - has increased in Asia Pacific and Latin America while holding steady in Europe and declining in North America.
- Gender and family: Women feel the strain – and pay gaps hold
- Tw thirds (67%) of the global workforce say they have been forced to make a compromise between their work and their personal life because of the impact of the pandemic and the research points to some concerns for women and parents in particular. 15% of working parents report that they or someone in their household stopped working voluntarily, rising to 26% for those with children under one. Half of respondents (52%) believe employers’ provisions for working parents will cease within a year. Against this backdrop, women are more likely to report that stress management is a challenge and feel less assured about job prospects compared to men. Women are also less likely than men to receive a pay raise or bonus for taking on additional work or changing roles, with the greatest gap in North America.
Overall, COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on many businesses and workers across the world, but while the findings may be daunting, they also offer glimmers of hope for the future ahead. At a time of ultimate disruption across the economy and personal and professional lives, today’s workers and employers have truly stepped up to the mark, putting in extra time and support where needed.
To view the full report, visit https://www.adpri.org/research/people-at-work-2021. More information on ADPRI can be found here.
