ROSELAND, N.J., April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time of
extraordinary economic, professional and personal disruption,
worker optimism offers hope for the world of work, according to a
new research report on the global workforce. One year into
the global pandemic, ADP Research Institute's study, "People
at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View" serves as a
barometer of how the global workforce feels, how they have
coped thus far, and delivers insight into workers' perspectives
about the future.
ADP Research Institute surveyed more than 32,000 adult workers,
including the gig economy, across 17 countries to understand
employee sentiment. Though attitudes and behaviors vary depending
on location and local policies, the report details the impact on
employees over the past year across five key dimensions of working
life: worker confidence and job security, workplace
conditions, pay and performance, worker mobility,
and gender and family.
"In the past year business-as-usual has been suspended, forcing
employers and workers to rethink accepted norms and adapt quickly
to an uncertain and fast-changing world," said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP.
"COVID-19's impact on job loss and change has been uneven, and
those who held their jobs are facing unexpected choices,
compromises, and even opportunities. We set out to understand how
the pandemic continues to shape workers' opinions and attitudes so
employers can better understand the shift in employee mindset as
they navigate the path forward."
People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View
The following are key takeaways from the report:
Worker Confidence
Optimism is shaken yet persistent: COVID-19 has
dented worker 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. While overall
optimism may be the long-term outlook, it is uneven among workers,
specifically among new entrants in the workforce.
- Nearly four in five (78%) Generation Z (18-24 years old)
workers feel their professional lives are affected and two in five
(39%) report they lost jobs, were furloughed, or suffered a
temporary layoff from their employer.
- As a result, optimism among Generation Z has fallen
substantially (to 83% from 93%) – far more than any other
generation.
- Additionally, fears of job insecurity have compelled three
quarters of respondents (76%) to take on extra tasks, longer hours
or assume a heavier workload.
Workplace Conditions:
Unpaid overtime soars; empowerment rises on flexible
working: With concerns around job security looming
large, nearly half (46%) of global respondents have taken on
additional responsibilities at work, either to compensate for
colleagues losing their roles or – particularly when it comes to
essential workers (55%) – to cope with the extra workload COVID-19
has created.
- In fact, unpaid overtime has jumped sharply to 9.2 hours per
week on average, up from 7.3 hours just a year ago.
- Additionally, since the pandemic began, there has been a sharp
increase in the proportion of workers (67%) who say they feel
empowered to take advantage of flexible working arrangements at
their companies, up from just over a quarter (26%) before the
pandemic.
Employee Performance
Pandemic puts employee performance in the
spotlight: Workers admit the workplace changes have
offered opportunities to develop new skills or embark on new career
trajectories that they find satisfying or that unlock their
potential in unforeseen ways.
- More than one-in-four workers (28%) report having taken on a
new role or changing roles due to job losses in their organization.
Once again, Generation Z workers had to be the most agile, with
more than one in three (36%) having changed roles or taken on a new
one.
- And there are positives, as most employees have been rewarded
financially for their commitment, with nearly seven in ten (68%)
having received a pay raise or a bonus.
Worker Mobility
Workers are on the move: Within
a year, COVID-19 has significantly impacted workers' locations. In
fact, three quarters (75%) of the global workforce made changes or
plan to change how or where they live, with that percentage even
greater (85%) among Generation Z. Worker mobility also plays into
considerations around whether employed roles or gig work are
preferable in terms of freedom of choice about how and where to
work.
- More than half (54%) of the global workforce say they are more
interested in contract work since the advent of COVID-19, the main
reasons being that they believe there are new opportunities for
them to perform contract work (35% say so) or because they have
learned new skills that they can apply to contract work (32%).
- In fact, older workers are the most open to the idea of
shifting into contract work (29% of over 55-year-olds and 22% of 45
to 54-year-olds), followed by Generation Z (19%).
- However, the majority of workers (83%) would still opt for a
permanent, traditional job rather than contract work, a proportion
that is relatively unchanged since last year.
Gender and Family
Women feel the strain – and pay gaps
hold: One of the defining characteristics of the
COVID-19 pandemic is the way in which it has upended work/life
balance.
- Half of respondents (52%) believe employers accommodating the
needs of working parents will cease within a year, something likely
to weigh heavily in future decisions, as 15% of working parents
report that they or a member of their household has already stopped
working voluntarily, rising to 26% for those with children under
one.
- Two 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, especially for women
and parents.
- Women are also less likely than men to receive a bonus or pay
raise for taking on additional work or changing roles, with the
greatest gap in North America,
where 62% of men received a bonus or pay raise for changes to their
roles, compared to only 50% of women.
For a more detailed look and to download ADP Research
Institute's report, "People at Work 2021: A Global Workforce View,"
visit ADPRI.org.
About the ADP Research Institute
The mission of the ADP Research Institute is to generate
data-driven discoveries about the world of work, and to derive
reliable economic indicators from these insights. We offer these
findings to the world at large as our unique contribution to making
the world of work better and more productive, and to bring greater
awareness to the economy at large.
About ADP (NASDAQ: ADP)
Designing better ways to work
through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional
experiences that enable people to reach their full
potential. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll.
Informed by data and designed for people. Learn more
at ADP.com.
ADP, the ADP logo, Always Designing for People and ADP Research
Institute are trademarks of ADP, Inc.
Copyright © 2021 ADP, Inc. All rights reserved.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/one-year-into-the-pandemic-adp-research-institute-uncovers-how-working-conditions-and-attitudes-have-changed-in-global-study-301278579.html
SOURCE ADP, Inc.