The many benefits of the ECDL / ICDL certification have been proved over and over by a number of studies carried out by research institutions in different countries. Following are some of them. 

• The 2003 'Cost Of Ignorance' study commissioned by AICA (Associazione Italiana per l'Informatica ed il Calcolo Automatico) in Italy measured the extent of productivity savings and the reduction in hidden costs due to ECDL / ICDL certification.
  Study found that ECDL certification resulted in an average 10% reduction in time spent carrying out computer tasks and a 47% increase in competence from pre-training levels. ECDL certification gives a total return on investment of €2,261 per person annually.  

• 2001 CapGemini Ernst & Young study carried out in Norway found that by certifying staff with ECDL, employers can potentially regain 3 hours of work time per employee per week. The ECDL covers nearly two-thirds of the areas that most people waste time on, thereby increasing productivity. A similar study with comparable results was performed by another research group on 2006 in Sweden.   

• Evaluating the results of its ECDL project the Manchester Health Authority found that respondents had gained an average 3.2 hours a week as a result of their ECDL training, findings which support the Norwegian and Swedish studies. After ECDL, the respondents asked 4 times less for help from their colleagues (which is time waste x 2). This research concluded an overall productivity gain of 8%.  

• A 2003 study in Ireland by iTech Research found that the ECDL had had 'a significant impact' in raising IT skills, building the IT certification industry and developing the IT training and testing sectors in Ireland.  Within a six year period the ECDL had created direct or indirect employment for more than 4,400 people and generated over €362 million in the Irish economy. 

• In 2010, ALBA Graduate Business School, Greece, released the study “IT Skills: the Business Gain”. The study measured many benefits for individuals and businesses from the ECDL training & certification. The perceptions on ECDL from the ECDL candidates and their manager were striking positive. 79% of Candidates and 90% of Managers agreed that work efficiency was increased after ECDL training & certification. 92% of the Managers (61% fully and 31% merely) agreed that through ECDL the employee will improve his/her employability.