60 Million Hours Spent on Commuting Daily, 'This Time' Increased with Remote Work Expansion [Jjinbit]

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Have you ever experienced a significant reduction in commuting time due to the spread of remote work triggered by COVID-19? Public transportation, usually crowded with office workers and students traveling between work and home early in the morning and late at night, was often empty during the pandemic. So, how much did commuting time for office workers actually decrease? And how did workers spend the time they saved?

On the 18th (local time), four economic experts, including David Dam, former analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, published an analysis on the New York Fed blog. They stated, "Even though the pandemic is weakening, more than 15% of full-time employees are working fully remotely, and another 30% are working in a hybrid form."

Based on their survey analysis, the total time American workers spent commuting decreased by 60 million hours per day. Since the survey was conducted from May to December 2020, the year when the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown measures were widespread, this indicates that commuting time was significantly saved during that period. Now that we have entered the endemic phase and remote and hybrid work continue to some extent, it is important to see how this saved time is being used.

Did the reduced commuting time lead to an increase in working hours? The researchers analyzed the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' "American Time Use Survey" and concluded that although American workers used 35% of the saved commuting time for work, overall, "the time spent working significantly decreased." This means that overall working hours declined as people engaged in other activities.

It was confirmed that American workers mainly used this time for leisure or sleep. In terms of hours, leisure time increased by an average of 2.30 hours per person, and sleep time increased by about 1 hour.

Leisure time usage varied by generation. Young adults enjoyed their increased leisure time through social gatherings, dining out, drinking, and exercising. Office workers aged 30 and above spent time on childcare, family activities, home repairs, and cooking at home. The only age group that increased leisure time spent with non-family members was 18 to 30 years old (1.13 hours).

Former analyst Dam and colleagues said, "This analysis supports previous reports that Americans prefer flexible work arrangements," adding, "The advantage of remote work, which allows time saved from commuting to be used for childcare and leisure, will be an important consideration in the future of flexible work agreements."

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is short for ‘Jeong Hyunjin’s Business Trend’ and ‘Real Business Trend.’ It is a segment showcasing trends in 'Work' such as organizational culture and HR systems after the pandemic. Based on analyses from foreign media and major overseas institutions that have not received much attention so far, we will deliver fresh and differentiated information and perspectives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.