Remote work has reached unprecedented levels during the last couple of years.
But do the remote work statistics reflect that it has been a success or a failure?
And what is next for the remote and hybrid work models?
To answer this question, I delved into research on remote and hybrid work by HR agencies, corporations, and national statistics offices.
Most Exciting Remote Work Statistics (Editor’s Pick)
- 38% of millennials want to work remotely 50% of the time.
- 58% of US workers can effectively do some of their work remotely.
- The proportion of hybrid workers in the UK rose to 24% in May 2022.
- US and UK companies are most likely to let people work remotely 100% of the time.
- 95% of UK construction businesses have not adopted a remote work model.
- On average, companies save $11,000/year on each employee working remotely 2.5 days a week.
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Remote Work Statistics by Demographic
1. 42% of Generation Z want remote work 1-2 days per week.
34.5% of millennials also want to work remotely for 1 or 2 days per week. In contrast, 28.3% of Generation X and Baby Boomers prefer to work at home for the same weekly frequency.
2. 38% of millennials want to work remotely 50% of the time.
Over a third of 26 to 41-year-olds want to work remotely 3-4 days per week. Generation X and Baby Boomers follow closely behind at 36.4%. And with the Gen Z population, 30.4% want to work remotely for that time.
3.One-fifth of Generation X and Baby Boomers want to work remotely full-time.
21.4% of people born between 1946-1980 do not want to be in an office. The corresponding figures for millennials and Generation Z are 14.7% and 7.4%, respectively.
4. Job seekers from Generation Z are 17% more likely to apply for remote jobs.
People born after 1997 are 17% more likely than other generations to choose remote positions to apply for. However, Baby Boomers are not far behind – they are 15% more likely to apply for remote jobs than other generations.
5. Women make up 58% of remote workers.
Despite being the overall minority of people engaged in paid employment (38%), women make up most employees working remotely. And the number of women working remotely has increased by 23% since 2020. For men, the relevant increase was 16%.
6. 68% of women prefer to work remotely 100% of the time.
US-based women primarily wanted to work remotely 100% of the time, compared to 57% of men. However, 40% of men said they preferred the hybrid work setup, compared to 30% of women.
Unsurprisingly, only 2% of each gender wanted to work in the office full-time.
7. More women than men specify remote work as a top job benefit.
80% of women consider working remotely to be one top benefit a job can provide. Thus, they are 26% more likely to apply to remote jobs than men. Only 57% of men cited working remotely as the most crucial job perk.
8. 61% of working parents want to work remotely full-time.
Over 60% of parents prefer to work remotely 100% of the time. Likewise, 37% of parents preferred a hybrid setup rather than working from home full-time.
Overall, 62% said they’d quit their job if they could not carry on working remotely.
9. 50% of workers who moved abroad while working remotely are millennials.
Nearly half of the “Digital Nomads” that have moved abroad to work remotely during Covid-19 are made up of 26 to 41-year-olds.
Remote Work Statistics & Facts by Country
10. 74% of US companies are, or will be, using a permanent hybrid work model.
As of fall 2022, most American companies are/will be embracing the hybrid work model. Such companies include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Spotify, and Slack.
11. 58% of US workers can effectively do some of their work remotely.
Most US employees could do some of their work remotely as of spring 2022. That is approximately 92 million people.
12. 87% of US employees offered remote work take it up.
Almost every American offered remote work takes their employer up on it. Moreover, 74% of US employees would want their current employer to keep offering the option to work remotely. On average, they spend two or three days working from home.
13. 85% of US residents prefer to apply for jobs with remote options.
According to a survey of 3,500 American workers, most US workers would instead apply for a new job that offers remote work than those which do not. Only 15% of the employees surveyed would apply for a fully in-office position.
14. 42% of major US cities pay more for remote work than non-remote work.
San Francisco, CA, pays the most for remote work roles. Its remote roles out pay office- and site-based positions by $32,000. Boston, MA, takes the second spot, paying $14,000 more on average for remote-based jobs.
15. The proportion of hybrid workers in the UK rose to 24% in May 2022.
The percentage of hybrid workers in the UK in February 2022 was 13%. The numbers went up to 24% in May of that year.
16. 1 in 7 adults worked from home in the UK between April-May 2022.
In 2022, the number of hybrid workers in the UK went up while remote-only workers dropped, compared to the COVID-19 levels. In April-May 2022, 1 in 7 working adults worked remotely, but almost 1 in 4 adults engaged in hybrid work.
17. 38% of UK workers earning over £40k worked in hybrid mode between April-May 2022.
Higher UK earners were more likely to engage in hybrid working in the spring of 2022. Meanwhile, only 8% of persons earning less than £15k reported being in hybrid working roles during that period. For those who make between £15-20k, that figure amounted to 24%.
18. 46% of UK tech companies plan to increase their global remote workforce.
Almost half of the British tech companies will grow their remote staff globally. In comparison, the number is higher (at 65%) for US-based companies in the tech sector.
19. Liverpool is the top UK city for remote work in terms of Internet speed.
Liverpool was the best British city for remote work in 2022, thanks to its excellent broadband speed, 5G capacities, and the rise of local startups. Glasgow takes the second spot.
20. US and UK companies are most likely to let people work remotely 100% of the time.
The companies based in the two countries are more likely to let employees work remotely full-time than companies based in Australia, Brazil, and South Korea.
21. Most remote workers in Canada make over CAD 84,000.
60% of Canadians in remote positions earn over 84,000 Canadian dollars. Likewise, a quarter of US-based remote workers make $100-150k per annum.
22. Ottawa offers the most money for remote jobs in Canada.
In the Canadian capital, remote workers earn up to $12,499 more than workers engaged in non-remote jobs.
23. Workers in Lyon can earn the most for remote work than for non-remote work in Europe.
France’s third-largest city pays the most significant deficit between remote and office-based positions in Europe. On average, the difference is $9,684 in favor of remote work.
24. Flexible scheduling and cost-saving are the most popular remote work benefits in Australia.
50% of Aussies stated flexible scheduling as the most important reason to work remotely. Cost saving is a close second, with 43% of Australians prioritizing it, followed by lack of commute (favored by 39%).
Remote Work Statistics & Facts by Industry
25. Over 50% of IT businesses adopted or intended to adopt remote work in 2022.
The tech industry is the largest adopter of remote work. The sector also saw a 23% increase in businesses reporting adopting a permanent remote work model.
26. 77% of people in IT and mathematics are willing to work remotely full-time.
Most employees in the tech and mathematical fields have the option to work remotely. Almost 80% of them would be willing to work remotely.
27. 46% of healthcare & technical workers do at least some remote work.
This increased percentage reflects the rise of telemedicine in the past few years.
28. 61% of full-time business & finance workers can work remotely.
On average, they work remotely 3.2 days per week. But only 25% of part-time workers in these industries have remote work opportunities.
29. 95% of UK construction businesses have not adopted a remote work model.
Only 5% of construction businesses were using or planning to use a remote/hybrid work model in April 2022. The accommodation and food industry is just behind the construction, with only 3% of such businesses going remote.
30. The education sector saw a 20% increase in the adoption of homeworking between 2020-2022.
The UK’s education sector’s adoption of the remote work model grew exponentially from November 2020-April 2022. However, the IT industry had the highest percentage point increase in remote work adoption during that period, at 23%.
31. 28% of part-time education & library staff can work remotely.
This figure was 22% in spring 2022 for the full-time staff in these sectors. On average, they work remotely 2.4 days per week.
32. Job ads for “Call Center Representative” and “Speech Language Pathologist” advertise the highest percentage of remote options.
84% of “Call Center Rep” listings offered an option to work remotely. That figure amounted to 77% for ads for a “Speech Language Pathologist.”
They were closely followed by ads for “Test Administrators,” 69% of which offer remote work.
Statistics & Facts About the Benefits of Remote Work
33. 78% of remote workers reported better work-life balance.
In February 2022, many UK workers said that working from home provided a better work-life balance. And over 50% of those workers reported completing their tasks quicker and with fewer distractions.
34. In 2021, 3 in 10 employees were “extremely likely” to seek another job if their employer removed remote work.
Almost a third of employees working remotely were highly likely to resign if their employer eliminated remote work.
35. 46% of UK residents working from home reported a drop in their spending in January 2022.
Although many UK-based remote workers stated that their utility bills were higher, almost half reported that their fuel and commute costs dropped.
36. 84% of US-based employers cite not having to commute as the best remote work benefit.
75% of them also specify cost-saving as a significant advantage. Some (26% of the workers) report that the top benefit is not being away from their family or pets, while others (15%) enjoy reduced childcare needs.
37. Improving the staff's well-being is the top reason for switching to remote work.
60% of UK and 84% of US-based businesses are switching or planning to switch to remote work to support the mental health of their employees.
43% of UK and 38% of US companies are switching to save money, whereas 41% of British and 72% of American businesses cite increased productivity as the primary reason.
Likewise, 58% of US-based employers are moving to gain access to top talent globally.
38. Employee turnover is 12% less in companies allowing remote work.
American companies allowing some remote work options experience a 12% reduction in employee turnover on average.
Financial Remote Work Statistics
39. On average, companies save $11,000/year on each employee working remotely 2.5 days a week.
Decreased costs are an essential benefit of remote work. In addition to turnover reduction, corporations save over $10,000 per every partially-remote worker.
40. In 2021, companies’ IT expenses went up 6.7%.
Due to the increase in remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic, companies spent 6.7% more on IT and software in 2021 than in 2020. As the hybrid work model is expected to continue, IT spending will rise further.
41. 63% of companies with high growth use a hybrid work model.
This model is also known as “productivity anywhere,” allowing employees to work from any location, depending on their needs. Such companies that incorporate this include Zoom and CentralNic.
42. 69% of companies with no growth/negative balance focus on becoming 100% remote or 100% in-office.
In 2022, almost 70% of companies showing little or negative growth prioritized where people should be working. These companies either have people in the office or at home 100% of the time rather than embracing the hybrid arrangement like most high-growth companies.
43. 38% of employees save $5,000 annually by working remotely.
Over ¾ of US-based employees said in 2022 that cost-saving was a significant benefit of working remotely. And over a third of them estimated that remote work was allowing them to save $5,000 per annum.
44. 42% of remote workers spend $100-500 on home office space.
In 2020, nine out of 10 remote workers spent money on a home office space. 42% spent up to $500, and over 12% spent over $1,000.
Remote Work Attitudes of Employers & Employees Statistics
45. 69% of millennials would give up work benefits in exchange for a flexible workplace.
A large proportion of professionals today prioritize flexible work. Almost 70% of people aged 26-41 prefer working remotely over having certain workplace benefits like health insurance.
46. 78% of remote employees want to continue with remote work to avoid distractions.
A majority of remote workers prefer the distraction-free environment of the home office. The same percentage of employees working remotely report feeling highly engaged.
47. 83% of workers would like to move to a hybrid work model.
During COVID-19, many employees realized that they are less burnt out when they split their working time between home and office. And in 2022, 83% of US employees reported wanting to move to the hybrid model.
48. 59% of employees prefer to work for a company offering remote work opportunities.
44% of US companies do not allow any remote work opportunities. Despite that, over half of US-based employees are more likely to choose an employer that offers remote work opportunities over one that does not.
49. 87% of employees believe having a physical office is vital for collaboration opportunities.
87% of people would take up remote work opportunities if offered, according to McKinsey. Nonetheless, the same number of employees considers offices necessary for the team.
50. 29% of C-suite employers believe that at least three days per week should be spent in the office.
The cited reason is to maintain a sense of company culture. Also, 21% of executives said workers had to be in the office full-time, while 18% said they had to be there for four days.
Generally, 65% believe in the importance of workers being in the office to boost productivity.
51. 34% of workers with less than five years’ experience felt more productive in an office.
The less experienced employees prefer to work remotely at most one day a week, as they feel more productive in an office environment.
Expected Remote Work Trends
52. 68% of executives say their companies do not have a plan in place for a hybrid work model.
Despite that, many of their organizations intend to implement such a model as of 2022. 32% are in the discussion phase, and another 32% have a vision but have not ironed out the details. Only 4% have not started to plan yet.
53. 16% of USA companies have had a hybrid model during COVID-19 but plan to move away from it.
Companies that intend to move away from the hybrid model are in the minority. 27% of companies that set up a hybrid model during the pandemic plan to keep it. 47% of businesses have even had the model set up before COVID-19 and are not planning to deviate from it.
54. 72% of companies will be investing in virtual collaboration tools in the future.
Most companies plan to invest in remote working tools to improve remote and hybrid work models. 70% of organizations will invest in security solutions, and 64% in virtual workforce management training.
55. By 2025, 36.2 million Americans will work remotely.
Before COVID-19, that figure was 16.8 million. From the prediction, it follows that it will nearly double in 2025.
Is Remote Work Here to Stay?
Judging by the overwhelming majority of workers wanting to continue their remote or hybrid work arrangements, remote work is not going anywhere any time soon. Therefore, both companies and employees should be ready for it and consider the best ways to capitalize on this new way of work.
To ensure you and your colleagues are making the most of remote work without security breaches, consider reviewing your remote work policies and getting a secure VPN for remote work!
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