Quality of Work Life Surveys

Työolotutkimus

The Quality of Work Life Surveys are extensive surveys which involve between 3,000 and 6000 persons and cover the entire wage and salary earning population. Thus far, the surveys have been conducted four times, in 1977, 1984, 1990 and 1997. The data collection for the fifth Quality of Work Life Survey, for the year 2003, will be carried out in autumn 2003.

The surveys have been made as personal, face-to-face interviews. Interviews which, on average, last a little over one hour include questions about the physical, mental and social work environment, the wage and salary earners' experiences relating to it, and about work experience, labour market position, terms of employment, occurrence of physical and psychological symptoms, work motivation, job satisfaction, work orientation, and experiences related to gender equality and fair treatment. Identical questions have been used so that results on the main topic areas are available from 20 years, soon from 26 years. Thus, the Quality of Work Life Surveys offer a very useful tool for evaluating changes in working life.

The first data from the Quality of Work Life Survey 2003 will be published in autumn 2004.

The survey series includes:

• Work Conditions Inquiry 1977. Personal face-to-face interview, sample size around 7,500 employed persons, 5,778 wage and salary earners in data.
• Working Conditions Survey 1984. Personal face-to-face interview, sample size around 5,000 wage and salary earners, 4,502 persons in data.
• Quality of Work Life Survey 1990. Personal face-to-face interview, sample size around 5,000 employed persons, 3,502 wage and salary earners in data.
• Quality of Work Life Survey 1997. Personal face-to-face interview, sample size around 3,800 wage and salary earners, 2,979 persons in data.
• Quality of Work Life Survey 2003. Personal face-to-face interview, sample size around 5,000 wage and salary earners.

Information content of survey data

The objective of the Quality of Work Life Surveys is to produce information on the state of working life for the purposes of labour policy decision making and development of working communities. The surveys aim to provide for public debate information about Finnish people's views about these conditions and how they have changed. They also supply material for various research, training and communication activities in different parts of society.

In addition to Statistics Finland, the Quality of Work Life Survey 2003 is financed by the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, State Treasury / State occupational health and safety fund, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Central Pension Security Institute, Local Government Pensions Institution, Centre for Industrial Safety, Social Insurance Institution, Rehabilitation Foundation, Occupational accident prevention programme / Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and Finnish Work Environment Fund.

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Päivitetty 7.9.2004