Table I.
Descriptive characteristics of participants and further by status on perceived changes in job security during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Total (N=1231) | Reduced perceived job security (N=80) | Unchanged or improved (N=894) | Test of difference a | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (M) | % (SD) | n (M) | % (SD) | n (M) | % (SD) | (p-Value) | ||
| Currently working ⩽30% full-time | 1066 | 86.6 | ||||||
| Unemployed | 45 | 3.7 | ||||||
| Retired (completely or partially) | 65 | 5.2 | ||||||
| Age | 55.4 | 11.2 | 50.7 | 10.8 | 55.2 | 11.0 | 0.0005 | |
| Women | 700 | 56.9 | 42 | 52.5 | 503 | 56.3 | 0.5159 | |
| Married/cohabiting | 947 | 77.7 | 61 | 77.2 | 682 | 76.7 | 0.9197 | |
| Yearly income from work | 486,883 | 251,891 | 505,320 | 251,640 | 494,502 | 240,539 | 0.7011 | |
| Compulsory | 37 | 3.0 | 1 | 1.3 | 27 | 3.0 | ||
| Upper secondary | 388 | 31.6 | 24 | 30.0 | 282 | 31.6 | ||
| University | 804 | 65.4 | 55 | 68.7 | 583 | 65.4 | 0.6083 | |
| Employed in industry affected by the COVID-19 pandemic b | 70 | 5.7 | 7 | 8.8 | 37 | 4.1 | 0.0571 | |
| Furloughed | 151 | 12.6 | 23 | 28.8 | 90 | 10.1 | <0.0001 | |
| Workplace downsizing | 161 | 15.6 | 43 | 55.1 | 113 | 12.7 | <0.0001 | |
| Worsened personal economy | 177 | 14.8 | 29 | 36.3 | 65 | 7.3 | <0.0001 | |
| Total workload | Decreased | 200 | 19.7 | 38 | 48.1 | 148 | 16.6 | |
| Unchanged | 479 | 47.1 | 16 | 20.3 | 442 | 49.6 | ||
| Increased | 338 | 33.2 | 25 | 31.7 | 301 | 33.8 | <0.0001 | |
| Psychological pressure | Decreased | 103 | 10.3 | 11 | 14.5 | 84 | 9.6 | |
| Unchanged | 526 | 52.6 | 30 | 39.5 | 478 | 54.3 | ||
| Increased | 371 | 37.1 | 35 | 46.1 | 318 | 36.1 | 0.0393 | |
| Degree of influence | Decreased | 112 | 11.1 | 21 | 26.9 | 85 | 9.6 | |
| Unchanged | 782 | 77.4 | 45 | 57.7 | 702 | 79.1 | ||
| Increased | 116 | 11.5 | 12 | 15.4 | 101 | 11.4 | <0.0001 | |
| Support from supervisors | Decreased | 148 | 14.9 | 28 | 36.8 | 110 | 12.5 | |
| Unchanged | 658 | 66.4 | 34 | 44.7 | 611 | 69.6 | ||
| Increased | 185 | 18.7 | 14 | 18.4 | 157 | 17.9 | <0.0001 | |
| Support from colleagues | Decreased | 173 | 17.3 | 24 | 32.0 | 137 | 15.5 | |
| Unchanged | 647 | 64.6 | 34 | 45.3 | 596 | 67.3 | ||
| Increased | 182 | 18.1 | 17 | 22.7 | 153 | 17.3 | 0.0002 | |
| Atmosphere at work | Worsened | 388 | 39.5 | 46 | 66.7 | 321 | 37.1 | |
| Unchanged | 505 | 51.4 | 19 | 27.5 | 465 | 53.7 | ||
| Improved | 89 | 9.1 | 4 | 5.8 | 80 | 9.2 | <0.0001 | |
| Degree of unity | Worsened | 358 | 36.3 | 36 | 51.4 | 302 | 34.7 | |
| Unchanged | 455 | 46.1 | 23 | 32.9 | 418 | 48.1 | ||
| Improved | 174 | 17.6 | 11 | 15.7 | 150 | 17.2 | 0.0157 | |
| Degree of collaboration | Worsened | 320 | 32.7 | 33 | 47.1 | 265 | 30.7 | |
| Unchanged | 494 | 50.5 | 28 | 40.0 | 452 | 52.4 | ||
| Improved | 165 | 16.8 | 9 | 12.9 | 146 | 16.9 | 0.0179 | |
| Depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 cut-off) | Yes | 106 | 8.7 | 8 | 10.0 | 66 | 7.4 | 0.4025 |
| Anxiety (GAD-7 cut-off) | Yes | 69 | 5.6 | 12 | 15.2 | 36 | 4.0 | <0.0001 |
| Increase in feelings of worry since pandemic outbreak | 329 | 30.3 | 39 | 50.0 | 213 | 26.3 | <0.0001 | |
| Increase of low mood since pandemic outbreak | 396 | 36.2 | 46 | 58.2 | 267 | 32.7 | <0.0001 | |
| AUDIT heavy drinking | 28 | 2.6 | 2 | 2.9 | 21 | 2.6 | 0.9117 | |
| Loneliness score | 6.0 | 2.7 | 7.3 | 2.7 | 5.8 | 2.7 | <0.0001 | |
| Increased loneliness compared to before COVID-19 pandemic | 663 | 55.43 | 58 | 73.4 | 478 | 53.8 | 0.0008 | |
a
Test of difference performed between groups, where 1=reduced and 0=unaltered/improved job security.
b
Occupations within the 10 industries affected the most by cutbacks during the pandemic (e.g. hotel, restaurant, tourism, culture, entertainment, etc.) according to Statistics Sweden.
PHQ-9: Patient Health Questionnaire; GAD-7: General Anxiety Disorder scale.