Quarterly Review - The great workplace recovery Swiss Life Global Solutions

Over the last two years, 81 million people have left the global workforce due to Covid-19. Now, as economies around the world focus on recovery, restoring people’s careers needs to be a priority. Employment growth for 2022 was expected to be 80 million jobs, and businesses will need talent to fill these positions (i).

After people’s lives shifted to the point of no return, businesses need to give new employees greater freedom to make self-determined choices about their career and life balance if they are to win people back to the workforce. So, during this first quarter of 2022, we have taken the opportunity to pause and reflect on what employees really want now.

At a glance

77%

Workers who are ready to learn new skills to progress their career (ii)

1 in 3

Women who considered downshifting their career in 2021 (iii)

_{⁽ⁱ⁾International Labour Organization, 2021, World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2021
⁽ⁱⁱ⁾PwC, 2021, Hopes and fears 2021: the views of 32,500 workers⁽ⁱⁱⁱ⁾McKinsey, 2021, Women in the workplace 2021}

Explore our insights

Employment from an employee point of view

Throughout the global pandemic, businesses have needed their employees to be resilient and adaptable, and employees have rewarded them with exactly that. So, what would employees like in return? Over half would like a say in where they work, and over 70% would be open to training opportunities. We discuss ways to empower employees to make choices in every aspect of their life in our review of current employee trends.

Spotlight on hybrid working

While as many as 41% of workers would like to work from home permanently, just 14% of businesses have plans to reduce their office footprint. Hybrid working is seen differently by employees and employers. This article discusses the varying opinions and aims to pinpoints ways businesses can offer an effective solution without compromising on the power of choice.

Always-on wellbeing

Digitalisation has transformed a wide range of business processes, yet wellbeing support has remained a largely offline offering. This is starting to change. There are now over 21,000 mental health apps designed to support and boost wellbeing. We discuss why digital wellness offers more flexibility and freedom of choice, and why employees are looking for these kinds of tools from their employers.

Supporting women back to work

A lot of research has shown that women were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and as a result, many made the decision to put their careers on hold. We discovered women are still experiencing barriers to return to work. Now is a crucial time for employers to support women in returning to the workplace so that they can pursue their career and create the secure future they want.