savings

Consumers Have Permanently Changed Their Saving and Spending Habits

A new nationwide survey issued today by Citi revealed that consumers across all socioeconomic levels and ethnic groups have made permanent spending and savings adjustments to adapt to the current economic situation. According to the data, 63 percent of Americans surveyed said the way they spend and save has been forever changed as a result of the economic downturn. Only 29 percent said spending and saving would go back to the way it was before the recession.

Citi conducted this nationwide poll as part of its ongoing effort to better understand changes in the needs of the consumers and communities the company serves.

The survey also found that consumers across all income levels and ethnic groups said they plan to continue their adjusted spending and saving habits. More specifically:

• Fifty-nine percent will continue to cut back on everyday expenses.
• Sixty percent will continue to save and invest more.
• Sixty-one percent will continue to cut down on credit card purchases.
• Sixty-three percent will continue to reduce the amount of money they owe.

Eric Eve, Senior Vice President, Global Community Relations at Citi, said, “This new survey points to a profound shift in the way people think about their saving and spending. The current economic environment is altering, perhaps permanently, the way we think about spending money. As Citi changes the way it does business to reflect the new economic realities, it’s important we continue to understand how our customers also have been affected by the economic challenges and pressures they currently face.”

Adjustments Being Made Across All Income Levels

People across all income levels and ethnic groups in the survey said they have made adjustments to the way they spend and save because of the current economic situation.

According to the data, across all income levels:

• Seventy-five percent have cut back on everyday expenses.
• Sixty-two percent have cut down on credit card purchases.
• Fifty-seven percent have reduced the amount of money they owe.
• Fifty-three percent have postponed the purchase of a major item such as an automobile.
• Forty-two percent are taking money out of savings or investments to help pay expenses.
• Thirty-four percent are saving and investing more.

More specifically, those who earn less than $50,000 were most likely to cut back on everyday expenses (80 percent), followed by 76 percent for those who earn $50,000 – $75,000. But even at the top of the income scale, people are making adjustments and cutting back on everyday expenses – 70 percent for those who earn more than $150,000 and 68 percent for those who earn $75,000 – $150,000.

In addition, those in the highest income level were more likely (33 percent) than those in the lowest level (27 percent) to think about postponing retirement due to their economic situation.

African Americans, Hispanics Have Made Greater Adjustments; 40 Percent Working Longer Hours to Make Ends Meet

Despite the spending and savings adjustments being made across all income levels, according to the survey, more African Americans and Hispanics than the national sample have cut back on credit card purchases and have taken money out of savings to pay for expenses. In addition, these ethnic groups said they have been working longer hours to make ends meet and have sought additional education to increase their employment opportunities.

• Sixty-eight percent of African Americans and 66 percent of Hispanics have cut down on credit card purchases (compared to 62 percent of the national sample).
• Forty-seven percent of African Americans and 45 percent of Hispanics have taken money out of savings or investments to help pay expenses (compared to 42 percent of the national sample).
• Forty percent of both African Americans and Hispanics are working longer hours to make ends meet (compared to 32 percent of the national sample).
• Eighty-two percent of African Americans have cut back on everyday expenses (compared to 76 percent of Hispanics and 75 percent of the national sample).
• Thirty-six percent of both African Americans and Hispanics have sought additional education to increase opportunities (compared to 21 percent of the national sample).

Eve added, “Keeping our finger on the pulse of how the economy is affecting our customers and the communities in which they live and work is especially important now, when people are changing the way they spend and save.”

savings

Worker Non-Productivity Costing U.S. Businesses $4.4 Billion Every Day

U.S businesses waste over $4.4 billion every day in lost worker productivity, according to data analysis by Global 360.  In an eight and a half-hour workday, the average worker spends 1.7 hours doing nothing. When combined with recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data on the size of the U.S. workforce and average hourly wages, Global 360 determined that lost productivity is costing U.S. businesses over $4.4 billion every day – over $1 trillion annually.

If each worker increased his or her productivity by just 15 minutes per day, American businesses would save almost $650 million per day.

Noted Business Process Management (BPM) industry expert and Global 360 Director of Strategy Terry Schurter, “While it is impossible for a human to have 100% uptime in a job, it is possible to improve efficiencies through better system design. We are in a knowledge-based economy, and a huge percentage of our output is based on efficient business processes. So while business can squeeze more valuable time out of workers, it also needs improved software.”

“The bottom line is that my own industry, BPM, hasn’t yet delivered on its full promise,” added Schurter. “Vendors have spent too much time with system designers and not enough time with the people who actually do the work, the process participants – thinking that somehow software on its own will solve problems. The result has been software that doesn’t give users what they need to get their jobs done, forcing them to work around the system instead of within it – and ROI suffers as a result.”