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Remote Work Before, During, and After the Pandemic

A typical employer can save about $11,000/year for every person who works remotely half of the time. Employees can save between $2,500 and $4,000 a year (working remotely half the time) and even more if they are able to move to a less expensive area and work remotely full time. Over remote work statistics the past several years, the primary driver of work-at-home programs has been the attraction and retention of talent, but during the last recession, it was largely about saving money. Organizational leaders, desperate to shed costs, found they could do more with less real estate.

Of business decision-makers in our study, 30% called compliance with local labor and tax laws a challenge to their adoption of remote work. Click here for details about how Global Workplace Analytics can help you optimize the people, planet, and profit outcomes of your work-from-home program and prepare you organization for the future of work. Regardless of whether or not we slide into another recession as a result of Covid-19, the experience will likely cause employers to rethink the “where” and “how” of work. Covid-19, and all of the work disruption it has caused, will not soon be forgotten by organizational leaders, shareholders, or other stakeholders. Those who were not ready this time will learn what worked and what didn’t work and be compelled—by investors in particular—to close the gaps so they are better prepared in the future.

The top industry for remote workers in 2023 is computer and IT

Productivity is another significant factor that influences workers’ remote work preferences. Thirty-five percent of remote employees feel more productive when working fully remotely [8]. This could be due to reduced commute times, fewer in-person distractions or the ability to design a work environment that suits their needs. Again, this demonstrates that working remotely can be a great thing for an employee’s wellbeing.

Over half of the working population in the US has some kind of remote opportunities. 54% said they work remotely at least once a month, 48% at least once per week, and a solid 30% work remote full-time [2]. Higher-income regions are more likely to have positions that offer remote work scheduling. The simple reason why is that remote work opportunities are normally tied to information-based positions like software development which can be performed off-site [1]. With that in mind, we compiled this list of the top 25 remote work statistics you need to know for 2020. These statistics capture a snapshot of the prevalence, productivity, and favorable opinion of remote work scheduling.

Statistics

It remains to be seen whether the shift to remote work slows that trend, or whether the most vibrant cities remain magnets for such people. The potential for remote work depends on the mix of activities undertaken in each occupation and on their physical, spatial, and https://remotemode.net/ interpersonal context. We first assessed the theoretical extent to which an activity can be done remotely. This depends on whether a worker needs to be physically present on-site to do a task, interact with others, or use location-specific machinery or equipment.

By this measure, remote work as a primary arrangement has increased only from 4% to 6% since 2009, a large percentage gain but only still a small minority of workers overall. A McKinsey survey of office space managers conducted in May found that after the pandemic, they expect a 36 percent increase in worktime outside their offices, affecting main offices and satellite locations. This means companies will need less office space, and several are already planning to reduce real estate expenses. Moody’s Analytics predicts that the office vacancy rate in the United States will climb to 19.4 percent, compared to 16.8 percent at the end of 2019, and rise to 20.2 percent by the end of 2022. A survey of 248 US chief operating officers found that one-third plan to reduce office space in the coming years as leases expire. In emerging economies, employment is skewed toward occupations that require physical and manual activities in sectors like agriculture and manufacturing.

Remote Work by Industry and Occupation

Study after study now shows between 85-90% of those with remote work compatible jobs want to work from home at least some of the time. It boosts flexibility—not needing to be physically co-located with fellow workers enables independent work and more flexible hours—as well as productivity, with less time wasted commuting. Yet remote work also may increase gender disparity in the workplace, exacerbating the regressive effects of COVID-19. The female workforce in many economies is more highly concentrated in occupational clusters like healthcare, food services, and customer service that have relatively low potential for remote work. Previous MGI research on gender parity found that jobs held by women are 19 percent more at risk than jobs held by men simply because women are disproportionately represented in sectors most negatively affected by COVID-19.

Employers should be aware that when a candidate is deciding between job offers with similar compensation, the opportunity to work flexibly can become the deciding factor. A surprisingly broad array of professions offer remote-work arrangements. Even food preparation and transportation professionals said they do some work from home. Thirty-five percent of respondents say they can work from home full-time. A mere 13 percent of employed respondents say they could work remotely at least some of the time but opt not to. Owl Labs in collaboration with Global Workplace Analytics (GWA) surveyed 2,025 full-time workers in the United
States between the ages 21 to 65 at companies with 10 or more employees.

About Global Workplace Analytics and Kate Lister

Knowing that next time you want to work remotely, choose a casual coworking space or coffee shop to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the surroundings without being exposed to tensions that might occur in the office. In order to stay on the ball, make sure you plan your day and stick to the plan by limiting the usage of social media and keeping yourself accountable. Considering the number of individuals working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s safe to say that working remotely works both for the companies and their employees. If the previous statistic was hard to believe, knowing that companies have actually experienced it first-hand might make it sound a bit more convincing.