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Experts say that 70 percent of UAE struggle with work-life balance due to technology

Nearly eight out of ten people, or 79 percent of the UAE, wish their family and friends would spend less time on their phones when they are together. A staggering 40 percent of UAE residents think they need too much help with using their mobile phones and would like to cut back. These results are some of the top findings from the 2023 Life and Technology Report from communications agency duke+mir. More than 1,000 people across the Emirates were independently polled (through YouGov) for their views on a range of lifestyle and technology questions to discover more about the attitudes and behavior of people in the UAE. One of the most significant findings was that 70 percent of UAE respondents think it has become harder to separate their work and personal life because of technology since 2020. Adopting different remote technologies to enable us to work since the onset of Covid-19 has distorted the work-life balance. Jonathan Ivan-Duke, Co-founder and Partner at duke+mir, said, "People in the UAE are finding it very difficult to balance how they use technology, whether at work, at home or out and about with friends and family. We prioritize using our phones ahead of people sitting right in front of us. This data shows we need to develop better ways to control our use of technology and perhaps learn to enjoy face-to-face interactions more." Other key findings from the report included: – Nearly half of Emiratis (48 percent) say they spend too long on their phone and want to reduce usage. A significant proportion of Arab expats (48 percent), Westerners (38 percent), and Asian expats (36 percent) also want to reduce their phone use. – Seventy-six percent of people in the UAE get frustrated by apps or websites every month, with more than a third of people surveyed having daily problems with apps/websites. PR/ Expat Media
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