October 30, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Reasons for computer use at work

The most common use for a computer at work in September 2001 was to access the Internet or to use e-mail.

Type of computer activity at work, 2001 (percent of those who used a computer at work)
[Chart data—TXT]

Of the 72.3 million workers who used a computer on the job, 71.8 percent said that they used the computer to connect to the Internet or use e-mail. Other common uses included word processing (67.0 percent), working with spreadsheets or databases (62.3 percent), and calendar or scheduling (52.9 percent). Less commonly reported uses were graphics and design (28.8 percent) and programming (15.2 percent).

This information is from a supplement to the Current Population Survey. Find more information in "Computer and Internet Use at Work in 2001" news release USDL 02-601.

Related TED article:

Happy 10th Birthday, TED!

The very first issue of The Editor's Desk (TED) was posted on September 28, 1998. TED was the first online-only publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 10 years, BLS has been committed to posting a new TED article each business day, for a total of over 2,400 articles so far.

Find out more about the story of TED