Work From Home Trend Reverses

A pair of recent studies reported here indicates that the pandemic-related remote workforce trend shows signs of reversal. According to a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, 72.5% of business establishments reported that their employees teleworked rarely or not at all in 2022. That number was 60.1% in 2021. A second survey conducted by economists found that in February 2023, businesses reported that only 27.7% of total employee days worked were from home, verses 60% during peak pandemic periods in 2020. Both of these surveys reflect that work from home is giving way to hybrid work, and for some, a full-time return to the work site.

Although the overall trend indicates a return to on-site work, certain industries appear to embrace remote work more than others. Thirty-three percent of businesses surveyed in the information sector (which includes tech and media firms), and about half of businesses surveyed in the professional and business sector