The modern economy is increasingly defined by sitting. Here is the breakdown of how sedentary our workforce has become.
Workers sitting for the majority of their workday (Source: Ergotron).
Growth in roles requiring minimal physical activity.
Average daily seated time for a typical office worker.
Historical Shift: Active vs. Sedentary Jobs
In the 1960s, nearly half of all jobs required moderate physical activity. Today, that number has plummeted to less than 20%.
Sedentary Levels by Industry
A closer look at the estimated percentage of sedentary roles within key U.S. sectors.
Workforce Composition Breakdown
The three main categories that account for the modern economy's sedentary nature.
Professionals, Managers, Admin, and Tech workers who perform 90-100% of their duties from a fixed workstation.
Drivers, Cashiers, Call Center, and other roles that are stationary but not traditional "desk" work.
Construction, Agriculture, Emergency Services, and roles requiring significant daily movement.
The "Sitting Disease" Era
The transition is nearly complete: we have engineered physical activity out of our daily economic lives. The challenge now is to purposefully reintroduce movement outside of working hours to maintain public health.