Swiss population: Satisfied in their jobs, but poorly prepared for the future world of work

86 percent of Swiss people are satisfied with their jobs. This is the finding of a study by EY presented on October 19. The auditing and consulting firm conducted a survey of 2025 people aged 16 and older throughout Switzerland between August 24 and 31. The results were weighted by age, gender and region as part of the initial sample representative of the population.

Future-proofing your own job - but others'?

In addition to the high level of job satisfaction, the study also shows that 77 percent rate their job as secure for the future. 44 percent also believe that their job will be even more attractive in the future. The survey also shows that the most important elements of a good job are variety, flexibility and personal contact with colleagues. But salary and bonuses are also still seen as important, by men somewhat more than by women.

But: 63 percent of the Swiss also assume that there will be fewer jobs in the future - actually a contradiction to the above-mentioned finding. "The discrepancy between the two statements shows that there is a certain displacement regarding one's own concern," EY informs in its press release on the study. People are particularly critical of automation and current demographic developments. At the same time, however, Swiss people also see opportunities in the future through increased flexibility in business models, such as the sharing economy. The survey shows that people see not just one form of change, but numerous different facets. "Our experience with companies also shows that the future of work involves an enormous number of different elements and that there is no one clear picture of it," says Gerard Osei Bonsu, Head of Personal Advisory Service (PAS) at EY in Switzerland.

Women do not feel well equipped for future world of work

Less than half (49 percent) of those surveyed feel well prepared for the working world of the future. What is particularly striking here is that, in addition to people with poorer education and low salaries, it is primarily women who take a critical view of the future. This is all the more surprising in view of the fact that today's economically active generations have more well-educated women than probably ever before. Focusing solely on promoting women in technical professions - against the backdrop of the digital transformation - is likely to fall short here. Culture and society must change in equal measure. Tobias Sattler, Associate Partner at EY and responsible for organizational and cultural change, sees differences in this regard from Anglo-Saxon or Scandinavian cultures, for example, where the fact that women can work and at the same time reconcile family and partnership is much more socially accepted than perhaps in Switzerland.

The future working world will be demanding - companies challenged

The respondents largely agree that the future will be demanding. 84 percent state that stress at work will increase and more performance will be required. Seventy-six percent also believe that we will increasingly share our daily lives with robots. There are different opinions among those surveyed about who should bear responsibility for the changes. The majority (44 percent) see companies as having a duty to provide enough jobs, while 26 percent see the state as responsible. Surprisingly, it is mainly the 16 to 24 year-olds who assign a central role to the state (45 percent). The proportion of people who see responsibility as lying with themselves is low, and still highest among those who are 55 or older.

The challenge is therefore to the companies. One conclusion drawn from the study results is that they must implement continuous change as the norm in their organizations. This makes it easier for employees to change their own attitude toward change processes and to focus on continuous learning. The latter in particular, lifelong learning, should be encouraged by companies. If this succeeds, attitudes toward the future world of work are likely to improve further.

Source: www.ey.com