Contents
- Remote work equipment use statistics for laptops and other work devices
- Remote work equipment use statistics for monitors, keyboards and laptop accessories
- Remote work equipment use statistics for employer-provided and personally purchased gear
- Remote work equipment use statistics for phones, webcams and connectivity tools
- Remote work equipment use: Home office furniture and workstation equipment used by remote workers
- Sources
Remote work equipment use statistics for laptops and other work devices
Laptops were the most commonly reported work device in Ireland’s Remote Work in Ireland Employee Survey: 85% of self-identified remote workers said they used one. Desktop computers followed at 8%. The report describes more than 3,500 responses, but cautions that its sample was skewed toward Finance and ICT and was not fully representative. These figures describe that survey’s remote workers; they should not be read as a current estimate for Ireland or other countries. Source: Remote Work in Ireland: Future Jobs 2019, page 8
A University of Waterloo survey gives a different view by asking how frequently participants used particular devices while working from home. The survey opened in March 2022 and closed in May 2022. Among the responses for each device, the following respondents selected “Always”:
| Device used while working from home | Always | Responses for this device |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop | 729 | 1,000 |
| Desktop computer | 178 | 999 |
| Tablet | 28 | 998 |
The Waterloo counts are frequency responses, not estimates of the share of all workers who own or use each device. “Always” is one response category, and the denominators differ slightly across rows. The page reports 1,002 survey participants, with 79% from Ontario. The survey describes participants working from home during the pandemic; its observations are anchored to that setting and the March–May 2022 field period.
The Ireland and Waterloo findings therefore offer related but nonidentical measures. Ireland reports the devices respondents said they used, as percentages of remote workers. Waterloo records the number who chose “Always” for each device, alongside the total responses on that row. Both identify laptops as a prominent part of remote work, but the numerical formats and study populations do not support a direct comparison of rates. The Ireland report’s representativeness warning also matters when interpreting its 85% and 8% results. Sources: Ireland report, page 8; Waterloo survey results
Remote work equipment use statistics for monitors, keyboards and laptop accessories
Waterloo asked laptop users about external devices used when working from home. Each count below is the number of respondents who selected “Always”; the total is the number of responses recorded for that item. The row totals vary, so each should be read with its own denominator.
| External device used with a laptop | Always | Responses for this item |
|---|---|---|
| External mouse | 617 | 933 |
| Stand-alone monitor | 478 | 932 |
| External keyboard | 452 | 932 |
| Laptop riser | 284 | 933 |
| Monitor riser or arm | 207 | 929 |
| Keyboard platform | 116 | 931 |
Source: University of Waterloo, external devices used with a laptop chart
Among these listed accessories, the external mouse had the highest “Always” count, followed by a stand-alone monitor and external keyboard. Laptop risers, monitor risers or arms, and keyboard platforms also appear in the chart, with smaller counts. This describes the response pattern among laptop users in this survey. It does not establish why respondents used a particular accessory or whether they received it from an employer, bought it themselves, or already owned it.
The accompanying totals show that the accessory questions had fewer responses than the laptop row in the device-use chart. The scope is also narrower: these are responses from people using a laptop at home, rather than every survey participant. The counts should not be combined into a single equipment total because a person could report using multiple devices, and the chart presents separate item responses. Source: University of Waterloo, external devices used with a laptop chart
Remote work equipment use statistics for employer-provided and personally purchased gear
In the Myers-Briggs Company’s online survey of 443 people, completed in Spring 2022, 59% of remote or hybrid workers had taken equipment or furniture from work to assist with home working. The accompanying item chart applies to the subset who had taken any item from work, rather than all survey respondents. Within that group, 66% took a computer or laptop and 49% took a monitor or screen. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, “Remote and hybrid working: Research report,” page 27
The same chart records the following items among those who took something from work: 15% took a keyboard, 12% a mouse, and 11% a docking station or laptop stand. Smaller reported categories were a headset at 8%, a webcam at 6%, cables or similar items at 4%, and a printer or scanner, phone, desk, stationery or files, and other items at 3% each. These percentages use the conditional denominator identified in the chart: respondents who had taken any item from work to support home working. They are not percentages of all 443 people. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, page 27, “Percent of those taking any item from work” chart
Personal purchases were also common in the Myers-Briggs survey: 67% of respondents had bought equipment or furniture to assist with home working. The purchase chart describes only those who bought at least one such item. Within that group, 55% bought a desk or table and 46% bought a chair. For technology and accessories, 17% bought a monitor or screen, 11% a keyboard, 8% a mouse, 7% a laptop or monitor stand or riser, and 3% a computer or laptop. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, page 28
Other purchases in that chart included a docking station, switching or cabling at 8%; a printer or scanner at 7%; lighting, a webcam or camera, and a headset at 5% each; stationery or office supplies and cabinets or storage at 4% each; and a footrest and other items at 3% each. These are again percentages among buyers, not among the full survey sample. The equipment taken from work and items personally purchased were measured in separate charts with separate conditional populations. Their item percentages should not be added or treated as mutually exclusive shares of all workers. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, page 28, “Percent of those buying any item to assist in home working” chart
Remote work equipment use statistics for phones, webcams and connectivity tools
The Myers-Briggs findings distinguish work items taken home from personal purchases. Among remote or hybrid respondents who had taken any item from work, 6% took a webcam, 8% a headset, 4% cables or similar items, and 3% a phone. The same chart lists computers or laptops, monitors, keyboards, mice, docking stations or laptop stands, and printers or scanners. The figures describe what this subset took from work, not overall ownership or the share of all remote workers using each tool. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, page 27
Among people who bought any item for home working, 5% bought a webcam or camera and 5% a headset. The purchase chart also lists 8% for docking station, switching or cabling and 4% for stationery or office supplies and cabinets or storage. These are purchase responses, not a measure of how frequently the equipment was used. Taken together, the two charts document distinct ways work-related equipment entered home setups, while preserving their separate denominators. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, page 28
A separate Office for National Statistics analysis offers historical context on portable-device provision by industry. In the UK E-commerce Survey for 2018, around 60% of employees in information and communication had been provided with a portable device for work. In retail trade, the corresponding figure was around 13%. The measure is access through employer provision in two industries; it does not identify remote workers or show actual home use. These 2018 figures should not be interpreted as current use rates or as a comparison of webcam, phone, or connectivity-tool use. Source: ONS, “Technology intensity and homeworking in the UK,” Figure 2 discussion
The available findings therefore cover different aspects of equipment: Waterloo records frequency of device use at home, Myers-Briggs records items taken from work or purchased for home working, and ONS reports portable-device provision to employees by industry. Keeping those definitions separate avoids reading provision as use or a purchase as regular use. Sources: Waterloo survey results; Myers-Briggs report; ONS analysis
Among University of Waterloo participants working from home, 99 reported always using another device with a laptop. Results of the CRE-MSD Survey on Working from Home During COVID-19 and Transitioning Back to the Office
Remote work equipment use: Home office furniture and workstation equipment used by remote workers
Furniture featured prominently in both the purchase findings and the Waterloo home-workstation responses. In the Myers-Briggs survey, 55% of respondents who had bought any item for home working bought a desk or table, while 46% bought a chair. Its conclusion also states that 80% of remote or hybrid workers had their own dedicated desk or table at home. The 80% figure covers remote or hybrid workers in the report survey; the item-purchase percentages apply only to respondents who bought something. Source: The Myers-Briggs Company, pages 28 and 86
Waterloo asked participants working from home how often they used different seating types. “Always” responses included 550 for an office chair, 87 for a kitchen or dining chair, and 22 for a couch, sofa, or recliner. The item response totals were 996, 995, and 995, respectively. As with its device charts, the response base differs slightly by item. These counts identify reported frequency categories; they do not mean that other respondents never used these kinds of seats. Source: University of Waterloo, types of seating used chart
Workstation arrangements also varied. Waterloo recorded 370 “Always” responses for working at a traditional desk, from 997 responses to that item. A make-shift desk, such as a kitchen table, had 116 “Always” responses among 990. A store-bought sit-stand workstation had 131 among 991, while a makeshift sit-stand workstation made from books, boxes, or similar items had 13 among 990. Source: University of Waterloo, types of workstations used chart
These results show several ways respondents described their home workstations, from traditional desks to makeshift surfaces and sit-stand arrangements. The charts report separate response counts and totals for each item, so the categories should not be treated as exclusive alternatives. A respondent could use more than one arrangement, and a frequency response for one setup does not establish what equipment was available in the home at other times. The Myers-Briggs and Waterloo measures also differ: one reports ownership or purchases in a Spring 2022 survey, while the other reports “Always” use during work from home in March–May 2022. Sources: Myers-Briggs report; Waterloo survey results