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Strategy Briefing

The Global Struggle for Work-Life Balance and its Impact on Consumer Markets

Nov 2015

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About This Report

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The frenetic pace of modern life, combined with longer working hours and an increasingly strong reliance on digital devices means that jobs are swallowing up people’s lives, leading to a less defined distinction between work and leisure.

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Overview

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Perceptions of work-life balance

A generation of cash-rich, time-poor consumers are looking to get maximum enjoyment and meaning out of the little free time they have available to them, leading to unprecedented demand for faster and more convenient products and solutions.

The difficulties of attaining work-life balance are highlighted in a number of studies. According to Euromonitor International’s Analyst Pulse survey of July 2015, 74% of analysts thought the lines between personal and work life are more blurred now than in the past.

Work patterns

Labour force participation is very high throughout the developed world and has gradually increased in most countries as economies have strengthened. While this translates into higher income, it has in effect led to a larger number of people with constraints on their leisure time.

Workforce participation rates are highest in the developed world, particularly in rich countries, such as Switzerland (84%), Sweden (82%), the Netherlands and Norway (each 79%) and Denmark (78%). They are also high in China, at 77%.

Workforce participation is notably lower in countries with strong Muslim populations, which is largely due to the lack of female employees. In Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, only 50%, 57% and 54% of the populations, respectively, are in employment.

Euromonitor International data show that among the countries under review, average working hours in 2014 were longest in Egypt and Saudi Arabia (54 hours and 51 hours, respectively).

Faster lifestyles

The pace of urbanisation has speeded up noticeably in recent years, as rural migrants in emerging markets continue to move to cities in search of economic empowerment, while newly arrived immigrants in the West head for large towns in search of work.

Urbanisation, combined with an increase in car ownership in developing markets, has led to more stressful and time-consuming travel to and from places of work. Countries with fast-expanding cities, such as China, are seeing a particularly strong rise in commute times.

Sitting for long hours at work and high stress levels have taken their toll on global health, with studies showing that such factors can contribute to back and neck problems, eye conditions, obesity, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers.

Leisure trends

With longer working hours and commutes, consumers’ leisure time is increasingly tight. With less time to themselves, people are becoming more choosy about what they spend their free moments on.

Euromonitor International’s global Middle Class Home Survey of 2013 found that the most preferred way to spend a free day at home was watching or listening to entertainment (54%), while the preferred activity outside of the home was shopping (50%).

A notable outcome of the squeeze on leisure time is that consumers are taking a greater interest in experience over possessions. People want to do things rather than own things, such as attend music or food events or take part in yoga classes or adventure sports.

Impact on consumer markets

As consumers have become increasingly cash rich and time poor, a thriving demand has arisen for convenience products and services, from kitchen appliances and tech gadgets to fast food solutions and disposable products.

Sales of large kitchen appliances have been driven partly by growing demand from middle-class consumers in emerging markets, and partly by a trend in developed markets towards premium appliances that offer smart technology and improved design and energy efficiency.

The rise of digital media consumption has boosted sales of smartphones and tablets but has had a negative impact on the market for physical media, including CDs, DVDs and video games consoles and software.

Retail trends

A need for convenience and flexibility, combined with technological progress, has also changed the face of retailing, with online - and in particular mobile - commerce continuing to grow rapidly at the expense of bricks-and-mortar retailing.

Savvy retailers are moving towards an omnichannel offering, which gives shoppers access to retail brands in a number of different ways, allowing them to seamlessly switch from mobile to in-store to computer to tablet as they move through the purchase decision-making process.

While most internet sales concern non-food items, major grocery chains are increasingly offering online ordering services with home delivery or collection point facilities in order to cater to time-poor consumers.

Mobile shoppers are now able to pay easily thanks to the availability of “digital wallets”, which store consumers’ payment information in the cloud or on a remote secure server in order to reduce the steps to purchase.

Outlook

As economies remain sluggish, cities continue to expand and businesses become more global and competitive, pressure on employees to work longer hours and be available on-call will increase.

Furthermore, a squeezed generation of consumers will find themselves caring at the same time for both elderly parents and children, while many will have to work beyond retirement age. All this means that consumers’ time will be more stretched than ever in years to come.

At the same time, however, a shrinking pool of young talent means that companies will be forced to make more efforts to improve workplace flexibility and employee benefits in order to keep workers happy and productive.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Perceptions of work-life balance

Work patterns

Faster lifestyles

Leisure trends

Impact on consumer markets

Retail trends

Outlook

CONSUMERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Less distinction between work and leisure
Employers want more bang for their buck
Chart 1 Opinions About Work-Life Balance 2015
Europeans better able to achieve work-life balance
Chart 2 Personal Perception of Work-Life Balance 2015
Never switching off
Chart 3 Approaches to Work While on Holiday 2015
Women still account for lion’s share of housework
Chart 4 Household Chores Comparison: Men vs Women 2013
Chart 5 Cooking or Baking Comparison: Men vs Women 2013
Chart 6 Care of Children/Elderly Comparison: Men vs Women 2013
Juggling work and personal life gets tougher
Young Americans sacrificing job opportunities for better work-life balance
Chart 7 Sacrifices Made to Manage Work-Life Balance by Age Group in the US 2015
Americans face lack of family-friendly policies
A quarter of UK professionals unhappy with work-life balance
Lack of “me time”
Asia: All work and no play

CHANGING WORK PATTERNS

A growing workforce

Richest countries have highest workforce participation
Participation rising strongly in Middle East
Chart 8 Labour Force Participation 2009/2014

Longer working hours

40-hour working week is a thing of the past
Longer working hours coincide with low female workforce participation
The East Asian work ethic
Rich countries have larger workforce but work fewer hours
Chart 9 Actual Weekly Working Hours in Selected Countries 2014
Turkish employees are overworked
Chart 10 Employees Working Very Long Hours in Selected OECD Countries 2015

Leave entitlement

Saudi Arabians work hard and play hard
Limited leave in the US
East Asia - a region of workaholics
Chart 11 Paid Holiday in Selected Countries 2014

Working women

Long term growth in female employment
Female workforce participation highest in Switzerland and Scandinavia
Israeli women making up a higher proportion of the workforce
Glass ceiling still a hindrance in emerging markets
Chart 12 Female Employment Rate by Country 2009/2014

Parental benefits

Fathers get involved
Efforts to boost birth rates
UK introduces shared parental leave
Italian women prefer to stay at home with children
German fathers do not take advantage of shared parental leave option
Young workers more likely to take advantage of parental leave
US companies forced to improve benefits
Summary 1 US Employers Improving Family-Friendly Policies in 2015
Japan creates more childcare places
Asia Pacific countries aim to increase fertility
Chart 13 Length of Maternity Leave by Country in 2014

Flexible work arrangements

Companies realise flexibility increases productivity
Teleworking appears to be most common in North America
The ability to set one’s own working hours
Free rein over holidays is still rare
Chart 14 Opinions About Flexible Work Arrangements in 2015
Companies cater to the needs of younger employees
Chart 15 What Global Workers Want in a Job to Help Manage Work-Life Balance, by Age Group

Part-time employment

Growing participation
Part-time contracts rare in emerging markets
Chart 16 Part-Time Employment by Country 2009/2014

Zero hours contracts

Working from home

Improved technologies support the home office
Cost efficiencies of teleworking
Telework most common in the US
Chart 17 Respondents Working from Home in 2013

Self-employment

More flexibility, but more pressure
Self-employment widespread in India
Table 1 Self-Employment by Country 2009/2014

FASTER LIFESTYLES

Impact of urbanisation

City expansion
Longer commutes
Increased congestion
Chart 18 World’s Largest Cities by Population 2009/2014

Health implications of faster lifestyles

Sedentary lifestyles impact health
Long hours may lead to heart disease
Spaniards suffer from “techno-stress”
Asia: Death from overwork

Impact of technology

Blurring the lines between work and play
Chart 19 Ownership of Devices Globally 2013
High-speed technology improves smartphone capabilities
China’s mobile web subscriptions soar
Table 2 Mobile Internet Subscriptions by Country 2009/2014
Cloud technology enables mobility
Consumers favour the cloud, but are concerned about security
Chart 20 Attitudes Towards Cloud Computing 2014
Always on call
Chart 21 Employees Saying Their Employer Expects Them to be Available Outside Regular Office Hours 2015
Chart 22 Employees Saying Their Employer Expects Them to be Available by Phone and Email During Holidays 2015
The explosion of wearable fitness devices
Sportswear companies get in on the act

LEISURE TRENDS

Leisure time squeezed

Doing something worthwhile
The “social envy” culture
Danes and Spaniards have the most leisure time
Chart 23 Hours Devoted to Leisure and Personal Care in Selected OECD Countries 2015

Favourite activities

Entertainment tops list of at-home activities
Chart 24 Favourite Activities at Home on a “Free Day” 2013
Shopping is the preferred activity away from home
Asian respondents favour travel
Chart 25 Favourite Activities Away from Home on a “Free Day” 2013

Mobile entertainment

Instant media
The growth of digital music
Music streaming sees entry of new competitors
Chart 26 Global Digital Music Revenues 2009-2014
Video on demand
Mobile gaming
Table 3 The Global Market for Digital Gaming 2009/2014

The role of social media

Chart 27 Global Use of Social Networking by Device 2014

IMPACT ON CONSUMER MARKETS

Household appliances

Demand for convenience crosses all categories
The move towards smart technology
Chart 28 The Global Market for Selected Time-Saving Appliances 2009/2014

Smartphones and tablets

Devices become increasingly powerful
Phablets take share from tablets
Chart 29 The Global Market for Smartphones and Tablets 2010-2015

Tourism

A desire to get away from it all
Staycations remain popular
Americans stay close to home
Table 4 Domestic Trips by Country 2009/2014
Germany still leads the outbound travel market
Young Chinese spread their wings
Chart 30 Outbound Trips by Country 2009/2014
Trips shorter but more frequent
City breaks gain popularity in the UK
Table 5 Average Length of Trips in Selected EU Countries 2013
Consumers looking for unique experiences
Peer-to-peer travel services
The shift to online bookings
Spa-cations
Table 6 Revenues from Spas in Key Markets 2009/2014

Foodservice trends

Consumers look for more interesting food experiences
Third party delivery on the up
Table 7 Foodservice Revenues by Type of Outlet 2009/2014

Domestic Help

IMPACT ON RETAIL

The move towards online retailing

24-hour shopping
China sees strongest growth in internet retailing
Table 8 Internet Retailing in Selected Countries 2009/2014
Online grocery driven by convenience factor

M-commerce

The rise of sofa shopping
Making use of QR technology
Chart 31 Mobile Retailing as a Percentage of Internet Retailing in Selected Countries 2014

OUTLOOK

Consumers squeezed on all sides
Happy employees are productive employees
The emergence of “wellbeing leave”
The move towards work-life integration
Self-employment on the increase
From workplace to workspace
5G on the horizon
Growth potential for wearable devices
Table 9 Forecast Sales of Smartphones and Tablets 2015/2020
Fitness and wellness devices
The emergence of smart homes
Tourism will evolve to suit the busy consumer
Table 10 Forecast Domestic and Outbound Tourism Flows 2014-2019
Foodservice will focus on experience and convenience
Faster shopping
Chart 32 Forecast Internet vs Mobile Internet Retailing 2014-2019

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Strategy Briefing

The Global Struggle for Work-Life Balance and its Impact on Consumer Markets

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About This Report

New Report Guarantee

Overview

Why buy this report?

Perceptions of work-life balance

Work patterns

Faster lifestyles

Want to find out more about this report?

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Perceptions of work-life balance

Work patterns

Faster lifestyles

Leisure trends

Impact on consumer markets

Retail trends

Outlook

CONSUMERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE

CHANGING WORK PATTERNS

A growing workforce

Longer working hours

Leave entitlement

Working women

Parental benefits

Flexible work arrangements

Part-time employment

Zero hours contracts

Working from home

Self-employment

FASTER LIFESTYLES

Impact of urbanisation

Health implications of faster lifestyles

Impact of technology

LEISURE TRENDS

Leisure time squeezed

Favourite activities

Mobile entertainment

The role of social media

IMPACT ON CONSUMER MARKETS

Household appliances

Smartphones and tablets

Tourism

Foodservice trends

Domestic Help

IMPACT ON RETAIL

The move towards online retailing

M-commerce

OUTLOOK

Why buy this report?

Want to find out more about this report?

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