OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Employees’ home access to broadband internet is one of the factors that continues to impact Wisconsin businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey has found.
In the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s sixth monthly survey since the pandemic began, 53% of businesses said internet bandwidth was limiting employees’ ability to work from home, while 29% said the availability of internet was a hurdle for employees. However, only 15% of businesses responding said lack of internet access limited their ability to offer online services.
“Given that a large majority of businesses have continuously expressed some level of concern regarding adopting work-from-home policies, we now know that a lack of high-speed broadband is one of the barriers that likely feeds this concern,” Jeff Sachse, interim director of UWO’s Center for Customized Research and Services, said in a news release. “This factor also has impacted businesses’ ability to pivot into new markets and services as it is likely that business owners are not confident they can manage these services remotely.”
Meanwhile, about one in three businesses said they were forced to find alternate suppliers in 2020, with more than three-fifths saying they found a Wisconsin-based supplier to meet their needs. Nearly two-fifths said they were interested in “reshoring,” or moving at least some manufacturing back to the U.S. from other countries.
Other key findings from the survey included businesses reporting:
- $1.4 million in inventory losses
- $4.2 million in lost income
- $804,000 in lost wages and productivity
- $23.9 million in other financial losses
Responding businesses reported adding a total of 70 jobs in the month leading up to the survey.
Less than 30% of businesses reported applying for financial assistance.
“This is likely due to an ongoing lack of resources as Congress continues to consider new stimulus measures,” Sachse said.
The survey, done Sept. 1-18, received responses from 453 Wisconsin companies representing 20,677 employees. Its margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
The survey was done in partnership with the state’s nine regional development organizations, NEW North and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
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