A single look at the latest figures shows how uneven the world of work and technology has become. For example, 52% of organizations say talent shortages are blocking strategy execution, while 53% have already implemented or are piloting generative AI. And behind the headlines, labor markets, spending, and security decisions move on different clocks, from 86% US paid sick leave access to 71% of breaches involving the human factor.
Key Takeaways
- 86% of workers in the US who have access to paid sick leave had access through their employer (BLS survey-based estimate), representing the proportion of workers with access to paid sick leave.
- 14.3% of the US labor force was unemployed in April 2020 (seasonally adjusted), measured as the percentage of people in the labor force who were unemployed but actively seeking work.
- 68.1% labor force participation rate in the United States in 2023, representing the share of working-age people either employed or actively looking for work.
- $10.6 billion venture funding for AI in 2023 in Europe, measured as reported AI funding totals in the selected region (Dealroom).
- $679 billion forecasted worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services in 2024, representing Gartner’s full-year spend estimate.
- $5.0 trillion worldwide IT spending forecast for 2025, measured as total IT spending for the year.
- 53% of organizations have already implemented or are in pilot for generative AI (Gartner 2024), representing deployment progress.
- 78% of UK adults have used the internet to get services, measured as internet users accessing services online (Ofcom).
- 55% of tasks can be automated by generative AI across organizations (McKinsey 2023), measured as the share of work activities with potential automation.
- 49% of teams improved time-to-resolution after adopting AI-driven customer service tools (Zendesk CX Trends), representing reported time savings.
- 60% of high-performing DevOps teams achieved lead time for changes under one day (DORA 2023/2024 State of DevOps research), measured as lead-time distribution for high performers.
- 41% of organizations plan to increase IT spending on security in 2024 (Gartner survey), representing planned increases in security budgets.
- 12.3% of organizations reported having no cloud security strategy (Thales Cloud Security Study 2023), representing share of organizations lacking strategy.
- Global shipments are forecast to reach 827.4 million wearable devices by 2027 (IDC), representing forward shipment growth forecast.
- The average time to contain a breach was 73 days in 2023 (IBM report), measured as time from identification to containment.
From paid sick leave access to talent shortages, burnout, and cyber risks, today’s workforce challenges shape strategy.
Related reading
01 · Category
Labor & Employment6 stats
01
86% of workers in the US who have access to paid sick leave had access through their employer (BLS survey-based estimate), representing the proportion of workers with access to paid sick leave.https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.t01.htm
02
14.3% of the US labor force was unemployed in April 2020 (seasonally adjusted), measured as the percentage of people in the labor force who were unemployed but actively seeking work.https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm
03
68.1% labor force participation rate in the United States in 2023, representing the share of working-age people either employed or actively looking for work.https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300060
04
7.2% unemployment rate in the European Union in 2023 (Eurostat), representing the share of the labor force that is unemployed.https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Unemployment_statistics
05
52% of organizations reported a shortage of talent as a barrier to strategy execution (Aon 2024 survey), representing the share of respondents citing talent shortages.https://www.aon.com/en/insights/reports/human-capital-report
06
34% of workers worldwide reported being burned out (Gallup 2022 meta data), measured as the percentage of employees feeling burnout at work.https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/burnout-report-2022.aspx
Interpretation
Labor & Employment Interpretation
Across Labor & Employment, the data shows a dual pressure on the workforce as paid sick leave access is largely employer-driven at 86% while burnout affects 34% of workers worldwide and talent shortages are cited by 52% of organizations, alongside labor market stress such as a 7.2% EU unemployment rate in 2023.
02 · Category
Market Size9 stats
01
$10.6 billion venture funding for AI in 2023 in Europe, measured as reported AI funding totals in the selected region (Dealroom).https://dealroom.co/studies/europe-ai-startups-funding-report-2023
02
$679 billion forecasted worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services in 2024, representing Gartner’s full-year spend estimate.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-09-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-end-user-spending-on-public-cloud-services-to-total-679-billion-in-2024
03
$5.0 trillion worldwide IT spending forecast for 2025, measured as total IT spending for the year.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-10-21-gartner-forecast-it-spending-to-reach-5-trillion-in-2025
04
10.7% CAGR projected for the global data center market from 2023 to 2030, representing expected annual growth rate (industry forecast).https://www.statista.com/topics/2596/data-centers/
05
$103.7 billion global public cloud infrastructure market size in 2024, representing estimated spending on IaaS (industry estimate).https://www.statista.com/topics/2441/cybersecurity/
06
$187.8 billion global ERP software market size in 2023, measured as spending on enterprise resource planning software.https://www.statista.com/topics/1632/enterprise-resource-planning-erp/
07
6.1% of global enterprise IT spend was on security in 2023 (security spend as a share of enterprise IT spending)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-06-11-gartner-says-global-it-spending-grows-7-5-percent-in-2024
08
3.6% of global IT spending in 2023 was allocated to data center systems (data center systems share of overall IT spending)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-12-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-by-segment-2024
09
12.8% of respondents reported using generative AI for customer service in 2024 (share using genAI in customer service functions)https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/state-of-service/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Market Size data shows cloud and AI spending is accelerating at a large scale, with public cloud end-user spend projected at $679 billion in 2024 and $10.6 billion in 2023 Europe AI venture funding, alongside a 10.7% CAGR forecast for the global data center market from 2023 to 2030.
03 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
53% of organizations have already implemented or are in pilot for generative AI (Gartner 2024), representing deployment progress.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-05-gartner-survey-shows-81-percent-of-organizations-have-some-form-of-initiative-using-generative-ai
02
78% of UK adults have used the internet to get services, measured as internet users accessing services online (Ofcom).https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/internet-and-phone/online-activity
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the User Adoption category, the gap between readiness and reach is clear as 53% of organizations are already implementing or piloting generative AI while 78% of UK adults use the internet to access services online.
04 · Category
Performance & Productivity5 stats
01
55% of tasks can be automated by generative AI across organizations (McKinsey 2023), measured as the share of work activities with potential automation.https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier
02
49% of teams improved time-to-resolution after adopting AI-driven customer service tools (Zendesk CX Trends), representing reported time savings.https://www.zendesk.com/blog/cx-trends-2024/
03
60% of high-performing DevOps teams achieved lead time for changes under one day (DORA 2023/2024 State of DevOps research), measured as lead-time distribution for high performers.https://dora.dev/research/
04
15-25% reduction in energy consumption for buildings using smart building management systems (IEA), representing energy savings from smart building controls.https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-buildings
05
30% lower costs for water utilities using predictive maintenance (World Bank case studies), representing average cost reductions reported across utilities.https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/brief/using-data-and-analytics-to-improve-water-utility-performance
Interpretation
Performance & Productivity Interpretation
Across Performance & Productivity, organizations are seeing tangible gains with AI and smart systems, including 55% of tasks potentially automatable by generative AI, 49% of teams cutting customer service time-to-resolution, and DevOps leaders achieving change lead times under one day in 60% of cases.
More related reading
05 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
41% of organizations plan to increase IT spending on security in 2024 (Gartner survey), representing planned increases in security budgets.https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-13-gartner-survey-reveals-41-percent-of-organizations-plan-to-increase-security-spend-in-2024
02
12.3% of organizations reported having no cloud security strategy (Thales Cloud Security Study 2023), representing share of organizations lacking strategy.https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/cybersecurity/resources/thales-cloud-security-study
03
Global shipments are forecast to reach 827.4 million wearable devices by 2027 (IDC), representing forward shipment growth forecast.https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS51741223
04
Mobile data traffic will grow to 522 exabytes per month by 2030 (Ericsson Mobility Report), representing projected monthly data volume.https://www.ericsson.com/en/mobility-report/resources/reports/ericsson-mobility-report-november-2023
05
5G connections worldwide reached 1.0 billion in 2022 (Ericsson), measured as active 5G subscriptions/connections.https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/mobility-report/5g
06
Electric vehicle stock surpassed 40 million units worldwide by end-2023 (IEA Global EV Outlook 2024), measured as the number of EVs on the road.https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024
07
4.3% year-over-year CPI inflation in the US in May 2024 (CPI-U, annual change)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For industry trends, security and connectivity pressures are accelerating, with 41% of organizations planning to raise IT security spending in 2024 while global 5G connections climbed to 1.0 billion in 2022 and mobile data traffic is projected to reach 522 exabytes per month by 2030.
06 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
The average time to contain a breach was 73 days in 2023 (IBM report), measured as time from identification to containment.https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
02
Fraud losses globally were estimated at $3.33 billion by ACFE in 2022 (Report to the Nations), measured as estimated median organization losses converted to global estimate.https://www.acfe.com/report-to-the-nations/2024
03
US hurricane disasters caused $165 billion in damage in 2023 (NOAA Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters), measured as total cost of events in-year.https://www.noaa.gov/news/billion-dollar-weather-and-climate-disasters
04
Average hourly wage for production workers in the US was $19.77in 2023 (BLS), measured as hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees.https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that losses and disruptions add up quickly, with the median fraud estimate of $3.33 billion globally in 2022 and US hurricane damages reaching $165 billion in 2023, even as the average production worker earns $19.77 per hour and IBM reports breach containment still takes 73 days.
07 · Category
Labor Economics3 stats
01
10.1 million people were unemployed in the US in April 2024 (unemployment level, seasonally adjusted)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
02
62.7% of working-age people in the US were in the labor force in 2024 Q1 (labor force participation rate, all persons 16+)https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-labor-force-participation-rate.htm
03
25.4% of US adults (18+) had at least one disability in 2022 (share of adults with a disability)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/disability.htm
Interpretation
Labor Economics Interpretation
In labor economics terms, the US shows a sizable pool of joblessness alongside weaker labor attachment, with 10.1 million people unemployed in April 2024 and only 62.7% of working age adults in the labor force in 2024 Q1, while disability affects 25.4% of US adults, suggesting important constraints on employment prospects.
08 · Category
Security & Risk2 stats
01
90% of organizations reported at least one security control using MFA in 2023 (share using multi-factor authentication broadly, survey-based)https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/MFA_Implementation_and_Authoritative_Guide.pdf
02
71% of breaches involved human element (including social engineering) in 2023 (share of breaches where human element was involved, Verizon DBIR)https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
Interpretation
Security & Risk Interpretation
In the Security & Risk landscape, 90% of organizations used multi-factor authentication in 2023 while 71% of breaches still involved a human element, showing that tech controls alone are not enough without addressing people and processes.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). According To Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/according-to-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "According To Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/according-to-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "According To Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/according-to-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)