We’re living through a once-in-a-lifetime upheaval, and wherever we end up on the other side won’t be the same place we started from. How we work, where we work, and the skills we need will all change.
Fortune Analytics got an exclusive look at Salesforce’s proprietary data to learn how the pandemic is impacting workers during—and after—the crisis.
Since early May, the Salesforce Research Consumer and Workforce Research Series has published biweekly polls of the public. And the company’s Customer & Market Insights group regularly conducts surveys among decision makers (director level or higher). Fortune Analytics got special access to both datasets.
Here’s what we found.
The numbers to know
69%
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… of U.S. workers say the pandemic will permanently change the nature of work in their own career.
59%
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… of U.S. remote workers say they miss going into the office. 63% say they’ve grown closer to their family during this time, and 67% are interested in incorporating more remote work post-pandemic.
50%
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… of U.S workers say they’re considering a career change given their current work situation. 49% want to work in a less volatile role or industry than the one they currently work in.
48%
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… of business leaders think technology spending at their company will increase due to the pandemic. Only 11% think tech spending will decrease.
39%
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… of U.S. adults felt isolated in July, down from 46% in May. 42% of Gen Zers felt isolated in July, the most out of any generation, compared to 49% in May.
22%
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… of U.S adults are extremely concerned about their physical health during the pandemic. 21% are extremely concerned about their mental health.
The big picture
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Americans believe their work lives aren’t going back to normal. About 7 in 10 U.S. workers say the pandemic will permanently change the nature of work in their own career. Half are considering a career change, and 2 in 3 are interested in incorporating more remote work after the pandemic.
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People are under once-in-a-lifetime levels of stress. When you mix a pandemic with unemployment levels above the peak of the Great Recession, you get a once-in-a-generation degree of hardship. Americans are concerned about losing their job (59%), their physical health (82%), their mental health (68%), and their long-term finances (83%).
A few deeper takeaways
1. Americans are worried about, well, everything.
We are living through a deadly pandemic that has already claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people in America. It’s no surprise that 82% of U.S. adults say they’re concerned about their physical health. But it’s also taking a toll on mental health, at 68%. For those who are extremely concerned about either, the percentages are incredibly close: 22% say that’s the case about their physical health, and 21% say the same thing about their mental health.