Success of Videoconferencing Could Keep a Lot of Ed Work Remote

Two-thirds of people in education expect to see a continuation of remote work post-pandemic. Sixty-five percent of respondents in education agreed that due to the success of remote collaboration, facilitated by videoconferencing, their organizations are considering a flexible remote working model.

The research was undertaken on behalf of Zoom by the Boston Consulting Group, which conducted a survey among people in six countries, including the United States. The goal was to understand the economic impact of remote work and video communications. All of those surveyed were full-time employees in a C-level, head of office or IT management position in an organization that used videoconferencing. The survey drew 5,820 respondents in multiple industries, including education.

Those employed in education said their operations saw 3.3 times more use of remote work during the pandemic, with 3.5 times more use of videoconferencing. Eight in 10 respondents agreed that videoconferencing solutions would "continue to be essential" beyond the current crisis.

In spite of the high expectation that remote work would endure, just 39 percent of American respondents in all types of businesses said they'd expect their organizations to work remotely after the pandemic. And a slight majority (54 percent) said they'd expect at least half of their employees to continue using videoconferencing.

The analysis calculated that 2.28 million jobs were preserved across all business sectors by use of remote work in the United States, representing 2 percent of the economy.

More complete results are openly available on the Zoom website.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract pattern of shapes, arrows and circuit lines

    Internet2 Announces a New President and CEO to Step Up in October

    Internet2, the member-driven nonprofit offering advanced network technology services and cyberinfrastructure to the research and education community has completed its search, which began this past May, for a new president and CEO to take the helm.

  • shield with an AI microchip emblem hovering above stacks of gold coins

    AI Security Spend Surges While Traditional Security Budgets Shrink

    A new Thales report reveals that while enterprises are pouring resources into AI-specific protections, only 8% are encrypting the majority of their sensitive cloud data — leaving critical assets exposed even as AI-driven threats escalate and traditional security budgets shrink.

  • stack of gold coins disintegrates into digital particles against a dark circuit-board background with glowing AI imagery

    MIT Report: Most Organizations See No Business Return on Gen AI Investments

    A recent report out of the MIT Media Lab found that despite $30-40 billion in enterprise spending on generative AI, 95% of organizations are seeing no business return.

  • young man in a denim jacket scans his phone at a card reader outside a modern glass building

    Colleges Roll Out Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US has announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campuswide. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.