The share of adults using home computers for work activities has declined sharply from a mid-pandemic peak. Current levels are below pre-pandemic levels. Some of the decline is due to many employees returning to their workplaces. Another factor is the long decline in the use of home computers as online adults embrace their smartphones for an increasing set of activities. This MetaFAQs reports on the percent of online adults using a home computer for any work-related activities from 2019 through 2022, both in the US as well as globally – US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China.
Most employees work from home and expect to be in one year
Only a fraction of worldwide online employed adults always works from home. A larger group never worked from home and never expect to. The largest segment includes those who occasionally work from home, and most expect to be working from home in one year. With the COVID pandemic and ensuing economic changes, many employees worked from home for the first time. As the pandemic continues, there is a wide variation across regions and employers in their policies and support of working from home.
This MetaFAQs reports on how many employees worked from home before the pandemic, how many are currently working from home, and how many expect to be working from home in one year.
Work from home experience & purchase plans
Consumer sentiment for technology purchases has faltered with uncertainty around the economy. Also, many workers are unsure about their work from home status in the future.
This TUPdate reports on the purchase plans among online adults worldwide (US, Germany, UK, Japan, China) and in the US. Four types are split out based on their current work from home status and experience before the pandemic. It specifies their plans to acquire a computer, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, item tracker, printer, smart home technology, and display/monitor.
The abundance of technology among workers working from home
The majority of workers working from home have a range of connected devices available to use for work-related activities, although not all are employer-provided devices. The collection of devices among workers working from home is larger and more varied than those being used by workers not working from home.
This MetaFAQs details those key technology devices that are used more often by American and global (US, Germany, UK, Japan, China) workers working from home than those not working from home.
Working from home – size of segments
How many workers work from home? How many already had experience working from home before the pandemic, and for how many is it a new experience?
This TUP analysis reports on the total number of full-time, part-time, and self-employed workers – and their work-from-home experience before and through the pandemic. The topline sizing details workers in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan. The analysis dives deeper into Americans by industry, employee role, employer size, and educational attainment.
Work follows employees home, although less so than last year
Home computers – those acquired with personal funds – are used by most employees for work-related activities. Americans and employees in Germany, the UK, Japan, and China peaked in 2021 and subsided in 2022. This MetaFAQs reports on employees using a home computer for work-related activities. It details the work activities with home computers, from communication to collaboration and productivity. As a historical contrast, it includes comparable results from the 1987 TUP/Technology User Profile wave.
Hybrid work from home arrangement likely to continue
Employees and employers have made some of the most substantial changes since the pandemic, with many quickly shifting to working from home. The most significant expansion has been in hybrid working arrangements, unlikely to change within a year. This MetaFAQs reports on online employees, their frequency of working from home before the pandemic, and their expectations in a year.
Fading viral boost to feature phones stalls smartphone sovereignty
Smartphones have nearly reached their market saturation point. Responses to the pandemic and economy boosted the use of feature phones above their long-trending decline. This MetaFacts reports on the penetration rate of smartphones and feature phones among online adults in the US, Germany, UK, Germany, and China. It also details the overlap of smartphone and feature phone use.
Trends in webcam and video calls/meetings usage
Are video calls and meetings as widespread as tech media implies? How much have webcams and video calls and meetings reached into the everyday experience of the average online adult? This MetaFAQs reports on the usage trend since before the pandemic for online adults in the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan. It further splits video calling/conferencing by smartphone, home PC, or work PC. Furthermore, because change has not affected everyone the same, it details the trend among life stage segments – employment status, age group, and presence of children.
Work/Life Balance TUP Lens [Highlights]
With the pandemic, many more employees are working from home. This TUP Highlights Report profiles employees by how often they work from home and their expectations of the near future. It profiles them demographically, by their type of employer, their connected devices, and their work-related activities.