Young heroes of work life

Transcription

1 Young heroes of work life The Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland 2012 Work and Entrepreneurship

2 Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland 2012 Why do we need the Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland? 4 5 Because my heart says so ranking of municipalities in Eastern Finland 6 7 The great unknown entering work life 8 9 Learning something useful educating future workers Things that matter in work life Too busy or nothing to do challenges of work life Follow your dreams reasons behind entrepreneurship Life isn t always peaches and cream even if you are an entrepreneur Changing culture international and multicultural work life About the Youth Barometer 22 Juvenia Center of Youth Field Expertise 23 Juvenia Center of Youth Field Expertise juvenia.mamk.fi Publisher: Juvenia Center of Youth Field Expertise, Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences Mikkeli, 2012 Editors: Pekka Penttinen, Marika Punamäki and Jussi Ronkainen. Data analysis and reporting: Pekka Penttinen, Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences, Jari Kainulainen and Sanna Ryynänen, University of Eastern Finland, Leena Eerola-Ockenström, Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, Jukka Määttä, HUMAK University of Applied Sciences. Translation: Marko Kananen Layout: Communication Services of Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences / Maria Sofia Miettinen ISBN Printing: Teroprint, Mikkeli 3

3 Why do we need the Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland? The Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland makes the voices of young people heard. It covers themes that are important for the well-being of young people and the viability of the region. This year the focus is on employment, work life and entrepreneurship, as well as on the various links between education and work life. The voice of young people is important for youth policies. Decisions affecting young people must be based on researched knowledge about how young people are doing, how the services for young people are working and how their social environment is developing. The Youth Barometer creates versatile regional knowledge that can be used in municipal decision-making and in developing services for young people. Some of the Youth Barometer's themes vary annually and are selected based on the regional characteristics of Eastern Finland and the information needs of regional actors and authorities. Even in the era of media, place of residence and its living conditions are crucially important for the well-being and the live courses of young people. Regionalism is an important theme especially in Eastern Finland, where the population is diminishing and aging faster than anywhere else in the country. In the light of this development, young people are the key group for the viability of the region, which is why it is critical that their well-being and attachment to the region is secured. Especially the way young people perceive and experience the region, i.e. the development of their regional identity, influences their attachment to it. The place of residence is important for young people because through its education, employment and housing opportunities, it frames the process of growing up and building an independent life. The 2012 Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland focuses on young peoples' views on education, work life and entrepreneurship. Participants are between the ages of 15 and 25 and come from the regions of Southern Savonia, Northern Savonia and North Karelia. The survey is a collaborative effort of four regional institutes of higher education. The results of the survey can be used to increase the vitality and appeal of the participating regions. Furthermore, the Youth Barometer creates more regional knowledge on young people and children s wellbeing. Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences University of Eastern Finland HUMAK University of Applied Sciences Diaconia University of Applied Sciences 5

4 Kiuruvesi Vieremä Sonkajärvi Valtimo The most highly ranked municipalities Small-sized municipalities Because my heart says so ranking of municipalities in Eastern Finland Young people from Leppävirta rank their municipality as the best place of residence in all of Eastern Finland. They appreciate especially the safe and familiar environment and the quality of life at their home municipality. Joroinen and Lapinlahti rank second and third. The most highly ranked mid-sized municipalities were Siilinjärvi, Kontiolahti and Iisalmi. Kuopio won the category of large municipalities. Based on its population, Leppävirta is classified as a small municipality. Young people of Leppävirta appreciate its manageable and safe social environment, which is strengthened by the social network of friends and family. In terms of quality of life, young people value nature and easy access to the cities close by. Joroinen and Lapinlahti have similar advantages of a rural municipality located next to a bigger city. Siilinjärvi and Kontiolahti received the highest ranking in the category of mid-sized municipalities. Both of these municipalities are located next to regional capitals. Young people in Siilinjärvi and Kontiolahti emphasise the balance between urban services and nature, an argument that was also used with high-ranked small-sized municipalities. These municipalities are considered to be safe and offer a sense of community. In a similar fashion, young people perceive Iisalmi, the regional centre of Upper Savonia, as a socially responsible and a youth-friendly place of residence. This positive image of Iisalmi seems to transfer also to the surrounding municipalities, especially to Lapinlahti. Similar patterns can be observed around the regional capitals. Kuopio ranks highest among all regional capitals. Among young people it is known for its studying and employment opportunities. But it is Kuopio s image, services and recreational opportunities that make it the number one regional capital. Kuopio is a place that young people enjoy also for social reasons. In this sense, there is a slight difference to Joensuu and Mikkeli. There is a relation between the way young people assess their home municipalities and their age. Young people of small-sized municipalities usually attend basic or secondary schools and live at their parental homes. The opinions of young people at the regional capitals, in turn, reflect the life of an older generation, with emphasis on relationships, studies and work life. Keitele Vesanto Pertunmaa Pielavesi Tervo Rautalampi Kangasniemi Hirvensalmi Mäntyharju Iisalmi Maaninka Siilinjärvi Suonenjoki Pieksämäki MIKKELI Ristiina Lapinlahti KUOPIO Juva Nilsiä Leppävirta Joroinen Rautavaara Juankoski Varkaus Puumala Tuusniemi Rantasalmi Sulkava Kaavi Heinävesi Nurmes Juuka Outokumpu Enonkoski Savonlinna The municipalities that ranked well are located around Joensuu, Kuopio and Iisalmi. Apart from Joensuu and its surrounding municipalities, these places form a string following highway 5 through Joroinen, Leppävirta, Kuopio, Siilinjärvi, Lapinlahti and Iisalmi. In this respect, Mikkeli differs from other regional centres and capitals. Due to municipality mergers, the city includes areas that are far away from the centre and are not appealing for young people. Polvijärvi Liperi Savonlinna Kerimäki Punkaharju Rääkkylä Lieksa Kontiolahti Kesälahti JOENSUU Kitee Tohmajärvi Ilomantsi Mid-sized municipalities Regional capitals Characteristics of highly ranked municipalities: Small-sized municipalities Relatives close by Friends close by Nature close by Familiarity of the place Recreational opportunities Good public transportation Mid-sized municipalities Recreational opportunities Quality of living Good public transportation Safe environment Familiarity of the place Regional capitals Studying opportunities Recreational opportunities Services 7

5 The great unknown entering work life Young people believe in the power of education. Over 90% of respondents consider education to be important for their future employment. 95% of female respondents hold this view. However, only half of the respondents trust that they will get a job from their field right after graduation. Young people studying at universities of applied sciences, universities, upper secondary schools and elementary schools believe strongly that education is important for landing a meaningful job. This belief is at its weakest among young people participating in workshops and upper secondary vocational education. Young people of Northern Savonia believe more strongly than others that education is important for their future employment. Young people in North Karelia, in turn, are the most critical ones towards this belief. University students see their possibilities of finding a job in their field and remaining in the field more positively than others. Over 70% of respondents consider versatile language skills to be important for their future employment. However, the possibility of an international career gets a more divided response. Over a third of young people consider an international career as something possible, a fourth of them does not. Moreover, young people (especially women) believe that they will be working in a multicultural work environment. Young people studying at upper secondary schools and universities have more internationally oriented work life expectations. Young people in workshops do not generally expect to have many international encounters. Young people are flexible in order to land a job. Three out of four are ready to move to a different municipality for employment, and 70% are ready to work temporarily in a field that doesn't correspond to their education. Women seem to be more flexible than men, and they are ready to make more compromises during the job hunt. For young people, entrepreneurship is the least appealing option of getting a job and creating a career. Nevertheless, a fourth of recipients (26%) see entrepreneurship as a possible or somewhat possible career path in their future. Responses of young people also reveal how appealing earned wages are in contrast to unemployment benefits. Only around 10% of young people say that if the compensation is the same, they would rather receive unemployment benefit than work a temporary job. Although this is only a small share of the respondents, it still raises questions about the appeal of work life. 9

6 Learning something useful educating future workers? According to young people, cooperation and communication skills are the most useful work life skills learned in schools. Especially women seem to think that. In addition, young people acquire a lot of versatile basic skills and international skills through their school career. The least frequently learned skills are related to economy. Everything I know about computers I ve learned on free time and from my friends. We don t even have computers for everyone at school. The work life skills gained through education can be divided into three categories: basic skills, international skills and special skills. Basic skills include creative problem solving, social skills and active agency. International skills are language skills and knowledge about different cultures. Special skills relate to a certain field, such as engineering or healthcare. When considering work life skills, it is useful to consider which skills are created through schooling and which are gained and strengthened in other areas of life. Computer science is a good example. Only 9% of respondents think that they have gained a lot of IT-skills through schooling. This can either mean that IT-education can be made more efficient, or that those skills are mainly learned outside the context of formal education. According to young people, the basic skills needed in work life have been strengthened through education the most. Women emphasise basic skills and culture skills more than men, whereas men report to have gained more special skills. Students at universities of applied sciences think that they have acquired the most basic work life skills. Upper secondary school students emphasise the strengthening of cultural skills. Young people at workshops report to have gained special skills the most and students of upper secondary school and universities the least. Young people of Eastern Finland think that the most important educational connections to work life are practical training and on-the-job-learning. 52% of respondents consider this to be very important; women see it more important than men. After that the most important experiences are period of work experience (TET) and common projects between schools and employers. Young people have very few experiences of entrepreneurship-trainings, because it is usually integrated as part of other subjects and procedures. This probably explains why it is held as the least important. Work life skills gained the most through schooling Cooperation skills, 71% of respondents Communication skills, 65% Problem solving, 54% Customer service, 54 % Versatile language skills, 54% Planning skills, 52% Flexibility, 50% Work life skills gained the least through education Special skills of a certain field, 31 % of respondents Economic skills, 31% Knowledge about different cultures, 24% IT-skills, 21% 11

7 Things that matter in work life The most important aspects of work life for young people in Eastern Finland are job satisfaction and interesting tasks. Over 95% of respondents consider them to be either important or very important. The least important aspects of a job are independence and social relevance. Young people value five different factors in work life. Job satisfaction includes nice colleagues, an enjoyable work environment and a good boss. Job s relevance refers to a view that emphasises the social significance and status of the job. Also the ethics of the employer and similarity of personal and work values are important for the relevance of a job. Ability to grow with the job emphasises the importance of training, promotions and challenging tasks. Job independence is about the ability of the job holder to make decisions about the content of the job as well as working hours. The last and according to the young people the least important factor is job stability. This includes economic security and the stability of the job. Things that matter the most in work life, % of respondents Men Women Responsibility of the work Good reputation of the employer Good salary Possibility to develop and educate oneself Possibility for creative work Ethical principles of the employer Good boss Nice colleagues Good work environment and atmosphere Women s and men s opinions differ. Women pay more attention to the inner aspects of a job, such as job satisfaction and job relevance. Men, in turn, value the outer aspects of a job, such as wages, responsibilities and an employer s good reputation. There are also differences between the age groups: for 14 to 17-year-olds, independence and creativity as well as stability are important. In contrast, 18 to 25-year-olds consider job satisfaction to be far more important. Young people s opinions about job satisfaction are similar in all three regions. However, with other aspects of work life there are regional differences. Young people in North Savonia consider relevance, ability to grow and stability more important than young people in other regions. In turn, job independence is held less important in North Savonia than in other regions. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 13

8 Too busy or nothing to do challenges of work life Young people are more worried about job stress and their ability to keep up than about unemployment. Other challenges include finding a job within one s field, earning sufficient wages and finding the right profession. About a third of young people admit to be very worried about these things. All in all, young people are rather worried about various job related challenges. There are two main themes, around which theses worries revolve: balancing job and private life and employment and assuring one s livelihood. Balancing job and private life is related to worries about combining work and family, the demanding nature of a job and problems related to stress and the ability to keep up. This theme also underlines young people s uncertainty about their satisfaction with a job and their abilities as workers. Young people are least worried about workplace bullying. The most common worries are clearly related to the well-being of young people and their attempts to build a life of their own. Worries about employment and livelihood are related to the fear of unemployment and difficulties of finding a job within one s field. It also includes worries about earning sufficient wages and choosing the right career. Women are by far more worried about work life than men. The difference between men and women is most evident in worries related to finding a job within one s field, choosing the right career, one s abilities as a worker and stress management. Although stress and ability to keep up is worrying young people, they are, in general, more worried about maintaining a work-life balance than about finding a job and making a decent living. Young people at workshops are most worried, and university students least worried about their abilities to find a job and earn their livelihood. Although young people are least worried about workplace bullying, their opinions about it vary. Workplace bullying is also the only thing that men and women are equally worried. From a regional perspective, young people in North Karelia are most worried, and young people in Northern Savonia least worried about finding a job and making a living. Things that worry young people about work life, % of respondents: a lot a little bit not at all 0% Hurry and problems about managing with the work life Being unemployed Sufficient employing possibilities at own field(s) of labour market Sufficient salary 30 Finding right occupation Enjoying work life Sufficiency of own know-how Work dominating too much of your life Combining work and family Bullying at work % 40% 60% 80% 100% 15

9 Reasons to become an entrepreneur in different regions. As an entrepreneur I could North Karelia Northern Savonia Southern Savonia continue my family s entrepreneurship 10,1 9,8 8,6 receive success, respect and influence 17,3 19,8 20,5 get rich 22,6 24,6 24,6 realize my own values 25,3 25,7 31,6 organize my work independently 27,2 27,2 31,1 take full advantage of my competence 34,3 38,3 realize my own good ideas do my dream work 36,4 38,1 45,8 45,6 45,1 47,1 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 54,1 60% Follow your dreams reasons behind entrepreneurship A fourth of respondents (26%) consider it possible or somewhat possible to become an entrepreneur at some point of their lives. The share among young men is 33%. This share is relatively high compared to the share of entrepreneurs among the whole working population (in the regions of Eastern Finland? around 10-15%). The main reasons for young people to become entrepreneurs are the ability to have their dream job (48%), to realise their own ideas (40%) and to take full advantage of their skills (39%). Becoming rich, gaining prestige or carrying on a family business are less important motivators for this career path. For women, the internal aspects of a job, such as fulfilling one s dreams and values are more important than to men. This might be because having a dream job and realizing one s own values in fields that are typical of female entrepreneurs (such as being a hairdresser) lacks the social status and presence of many other small businesses. Men value success, respect and money more than women. These values that are traditionally held by men are mostly related to outer aspects of a job and its social status. This difference can be seen to reflect the dominant values of the society, which are commonly held by men, materialistic and related to power. It is, however, worth noting that men also perceive carrying on a family business as a relevant reason to become an entrepreneur. Eastern Finland has lot of agriculture, which might be why men face more social and cultural expectations than women. Most of the alternative reasons for entrepreneurship that were offered in this survey seem to be more important to young people in Southern Savonia than to their peers in Northern Savonia and North Karelia. The only exception is carrying on the family business. For young people in South Savonia the ability to have one's dream job, to realise one s own ideas, to take a full advantage of one s skills and to live according to one s values are more important. Entrepreneurship thus seems to be more appealing for young people in Southern Savonia than to young people in the other two regions. The Youth Barometer does not provide an answer to whether this difference can be explained through some special characteristics of Southern Savonia. 17

10 Life isn t always peaches and cream even if you are an entrepreneur According to young people, the most worrying aspects of entrepreneurship are financial risks (important factor for 48% of respondents), mental exhaustion (47%), high demands of the job (45%) and bearing the sole responsibility for an enterprise (41%). Young people are far less worried about insufficient skills, weak social security or the career s low status in work life. Men avoid entrepreneurship mostly because of the financial risks. This is important for 38% of men and 53% of women. In general, women consider the risks of entrepreneurship to be bigger than men. 53% of women consider the mental exhaustion an important reason for not becoming an entrepreneur, whereas only 35% of men think that. For women bearing the sole responsibility, the demanding nature of the job and exhaustion are more important than to men. There are also differences between the age groups. 18 to 25 year-olds come up with more reasons for not becoming an entrepreneur than 14 to 17-year-olds. The difference is especially clear in questions related to mental exhaustion, demanding nature of the job, financial risks and insufficient skills. The older age group uses these reasons for declining entrepreneurship more often than the younger one. When looking at the differences on a regional level, the financial risks are more important reason for young people in South Savonia than in other regions. Higher education students reported more reasons for not becoming an entrepreneur. Elementary school pupils and students doing a dual degree consider the above mentioned reasons less important for declining entrepreneurship. Apart from university students, the financial risks are the main reason for not entering entrepreneurship. 19

11 Changing culture international and multicultural work life Attitudes towards internationalism and multiculturalism on work life: I am worried that my language skills are not enough. 42,4 22,2 35,4 I feel uncertain in a multicultural environment. 30,8 27,3 41,9 Finnish society needs more foreign workers in the future. 33,3 36,4 30,3 Russian language skills are important for employment. 26,6 31,2 42,2 Knowledge of Russian culture is important for employment. 18,4 29,4 52,2 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Agree Somewhat agree, somewhat disagree Disagree Young people in Eastern Finland have two-fold views on internationalism, multiculturalism and the role of Russia in work life. About a third of young people want to become more international, whereas about the same share of them does not perceive it as important. Over a fourth of young people see working abroad as possible, but the views on work based migration are more often negative than positive. Attitudes about internationalism and multiculturalism of work life can be condensed in three themes. The first one is abilities to work in an international environment, which represents sufficient language skills and other skills necessary in an international context. The second theme addresses the importance of Russia in the job market. This includes the importance of Russian language and culture in the job market and young people s willingness to complete part of their studies in Russia. The third main them is attitude towards work based migration. Young people in Northern Savonia consider their international abilities slightly higher than young people in Southern Savonia or North Karelia. Women consider their international abilities slightly higher than men. Students of upper secondary school and higher education are more critical towards their abilities than elementary school and secondary vocational school students. Only 20-25% of young people consider knowledge on Russian language and culture important for work life. Students of upper secondary school and higher education perceive it as more important than elementary school and secondary vocational school students. They also perceive job based immigration more positively than elementary school and secondary vocational school students. More women support job based immigration than men. Over a fourth (28%) of all respondents perceives working abroad either permanently or regularly as possible. However, only 4-5 % sees working in Russia as possible. Women, younger age groups and North Karelians are more willing to work abroad and perceive working abroad more likely than others. Gender, age and place of study are connected to willingness to work in Russia. Men, younger age groups and elementary school and secondary education students are more willing to do that than women, members of older generations and students of other institutions. 21

12 About the Youth Barometer The second Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland was conducted as a survey in autumn Respondents came from Southern Savonia, Northern Savonia and North Karelia. These regions were selected because on a bureaucratic level, issues concerning young people are treated within the unity of these three regions. Decision making and child and youth policies need researched knowledge about the well-being of children and young people. How children and young people are doing, how they perceive issues related to their lives, how services for young people are working and how the growing environment of young people has developed. The Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland tries to answer these questions. However, it is not enough to merely create knowledge. This knowledge has to become part of professional practices and development. Knowledge about the well-being, values and attitudes of young people are collected regularly through e.g. the Youth Barometer, which is published by the Finnish Youth Research Society and the Advisory Council for Youth Affairs. By comparing the regional and national information, it is possible to raise special regional topics. It is also possible to improve the matters that are crucial for the well-being of young people and the viability of the region. Youth Barometer of Eastern Finland 2012 Number of respondents: % women, 33.5% men. 64.3% of respondents were in age group 15-18, 35.7% in age group The sample was collected at elementary schools (9th grade), secondary schools, community schools, workshops, universities of applied sciences and universities of the region. Juvenia Center of Youth Field Expertise Juvenia is a centre of expertise at the Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences. Juvenia implements research and development projects and provides education and expert services. It focuses on promoting the well-being of young people and children, preventing marginalization and strengthening civic activity, participation and communities. juvenia.mamk.fi Respondents came from Southern Savonia 484 (29.6% of respondents) Northern Savonia 522 (32%) North Karelia 627 (38.4%)

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