A study by the Institute for the Study of Labour (IZA) quantifies and analyses the time saved by employees working from home due to reduced commuting times. In connection with the IZA’s Global Survey of Working Arrangements (G-SWA), employees in 27 countries were surveyed for this purpose.
As a result, the average commuting time saved by working from home across all countries is 72 minutes per working day. However, a country comparison reveals significant differences. For example, the savings in Serbia (51 minutes), Poland (54 minutes) and the USA (55 minutes) are comparatively low; in China (102 minutes), Japan (100 minutes) and India (99 minutes), on the other hand, they are very high. With average savings of 65 minutes per working day, Germany is in the middle of the field.
In order to estimate the overall economic benefit of the time savings, the study also looks at how employees utilise the time saved. Overall, around 40% of the time saved is used for professional activities. On average, more than 2 working hours per week and person are worked more as a result of the commuting time saved. With an expected reduction in working from home and a corresponding increase in commuting times, an effective time saving of around one working hour per week per person is projected in the long term. In addition to professional activities, 34% of the time saved is used for leisure activities and 11% for education and care.
