On-the-job Web use leaps 23 percent

July 11, 2001 —

Whether to relieve work ennui, or actually to get things done, U.S. workers are increasingly logging on to the Internet from their jobs, according to a study released this week by Nielsen//NetRatings.

On-the-job Web use leapt 23 percent from June of 2000 to June 2001, according to the study, as 42 million U.S. citizens sought information online. The number of times that each user logged on rose 10 percent, from an average 39 times in June of last year to an average 43 times during the same period this year.

In addition, workers visited a wider variety of sites than last year, perusing an average 35 sites in June, over an average 28 during June 2000, a 25 percent increase. At-work Web surfers increased the amount of time they spent online as well, the study noted, increasing from an average 20 hours and 30 minutes during the study period last year to 22 hours and 38 minutes this year.

All this online hustle and bustle adds up to 15 percent of all U.S. workers accessing the Web from work, the study indicated.

And this number will continue to grow, as the office environment becomes more dependent on the Internet for tasks such as research and management, the study states.

So, where and what type of information were they clicking?

According to Nielsen//NetRatings, sites containing corporate information got the most play, showing a 49 percent growth in activity for June 2001 over the same period in 2000. Following corporate sites, U.S. workers, perhaps worried about dwindling funds, were checking finance, insurance and investment sites, which experienced 42 percent growth over the period, and travel sites, which racked up 31 percent growth.

Hot online properties during June 2001 included AOL Time Warner Inc. sites, with a combined 76.8 million unique visitors, Yahoo Inc. with 68 million, MSN with 62.6 million, and Microsoft Corp. with 39 million, according to the study, which included visitors both from work and home in this category.

And while some of these sites include free e-mail services, the study indicates that U.S. workers have moved beyond just accessing e-mail and are starting to integrate the Net into their day-to-day tasks.

Workers are conducting a variety of business-related functions online as part of their daily routine, Sean Kaldor, vice president of analytical services at NetRatings said in a statement.

Nielsen//NetRatings is the audience measurement service from Nielsen Media Research Inc. and NetRatings Inc.

NetRatings can be reached in New York at +1-212-907-4220, or online at http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/.

ITworld.com