Tekijät

• State Youth Council
• Finnish Youth Research Society. Finnish Youth Research Network

Asiasanat

adolescents, entrepreneurs, labour and employment, leisure time, occupational choice, occupational life

Sisällön kuvaus

Main themes of the Finnish Youth Survey 2019 included employment and entrepreneurship.

First, the respondents were asked what they thought of as work and employment (e.g. paid and unpaid work, doing research on grants, being a freelancer). If the respondents were in paid employment or worked as entrepreneurs, they were asked whether their current work tasks corresponded to their education, whether they felt they could clearly separate work and leisure time, and how well several statements described their work (e.g. whether they often had difficulties coping with their work, felt that their work was physically or mentally demanding, or were excited about their work). The respondents' experiences of being bullied or discriminated against at work were also charted, and the views on the importance of various aspects of life (e.g. work, family, material well-being, health) were examined.

Regarding occupational choice, the respondents were asked whether they knew what their dream occupation was, as well as whether they currently were in their dream job or their education would lead to their dream job. If the respondents were students, their opinions on the amount of career choice guidance they had received as well as their stress, fear and expectations regarding their future careers were surveyed. All respondents were asked how much impact various factors, such as the people close to them, the Internet or the media, summer jobs, wage levels, own interest, and potential for versatile work tasks and career advancement, had had on their choice of occupation, field, or career. The respondents were also presented with attitudinal statements on unemployment, working life, and their personal work and career situation.

Views on entrepreneurship were charted with questions on whether the respondents already were entrepreneurs/self-employed or were planning to start a company in the future, how they had become entrepreneurs, and whether their company already employed or they would want to employ other people. Additionally, the respondents were asked whether there were any entrepreneurs among the people close to them and if their parents were entrepreneurs, whether they wanted to continue their parents' work. Some statements on entrepreneurship, such as whether the respondent had been encouraged to become an entrepreneur and whether they thought entrepreneurship facilitated influencing society, were also included. Finally, the respondents were asked how satisfied they were currently with their work (whether in paid employment or as an entrepreneur/self-employed), financial situation, leisure time, and life as a whole.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's gender, age, region of residence, mother tongue, marital status, level of education, type of employment contract, working hours, economic activity and occupational status, household composition and income, level of education of respondent's mother, father, and spouse/partner, and, if unemployed, length of unemployment period.