2021/10/11
Keio University
Professor Toshihiro Okubo of the Faculty of Economics at Keio University has been conducting large-scale surveys on telework and the work, lives, and attitudes of workers in Japan amid the spread of COVID-19 since April 2020, when the pandemic began. This is the fifth "Survey on the State of Teleworking," a large-scale nationwide survey of 10,000 workers conducted in collaboration with the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA).
According to the preliminary results of the 5th survey, the nationwide telework utilization rate as of the first week of September 2021 was 17% (28% in the Tokyo metropolitan area), with no change in the rate itself since June 2020. However, it was found that the quality of work is changing, with an increase in hours spent teleworking and a rise in ICT utilization. On the other hand, it was also observed that deteriorating communication led to a decrease in work efficiency. Furthermore, it was confirmed that individuals with a history of infection have poorer mental health and feel more anxiety about financial hardship than those without. Regarding vaccination status, no gender differences were observed, but the younger the age group, the lower the completion rate and the higher the percentage of those who answered they would not get vaccinated. Additionally, it was found that the proportion of people whose jobs qualify as green jobs (including those whose jobs partially qualify) is 31% of the total workforce.
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