22 Surprising Remote Work Stats
- How Many People Work from Home
- Benefits of Working From Home Statistics
- Remote Workforce Statistics by Industry and Occupation
- Remote Employee Statistics by Demographics
- What Employees Think About Remote Work
- What Employers Think About Remote Work
- Remote Work Productivity Statistics
- Work From Home Future Trends
- Conclusion
Four years have passed since the start and many are wondering how many people are working from home and will continue to do so in the future? In our latest article, we provide all-encompassing statistics about remote work, examine popular remote workforce trends, and try to establish if everything will be done remotely in the time to come.
How Many People Work from Home
To set the foundation for our research on remote working, it’s imperative that we explore statistics of people working from home. They will offer us insights into the current state of work as well as give a preview of what the future holds for employers and employees.
1. 20% of workers are working remotely
In the United States, the percentage of people working from home rose to 20%, or one-fifth of the workforce. This has been attributed to the evolution of company operations and employee lifestyles in the face of the global pandemic. Traditional work environments are done away with, in favor of more flexible arrangements.
2. Remote workers are less likely to change companies
According to a survey carried out by Owl Labs in 2023, 23% of employees changed companies. What is interesting is the fact that this is more common among people who go to work in an office full time, about 26%. Only 17% of hybrid and remote workers decided to switch employers.
3. Staggering amount of people wish to work remotely
98% of employees desire to work from home for the rest of their careers. This figure showcases the deepening aspiration of workers to have more autonomy, flexibility, and more personal time. It’s not surprising that another 98% would recommend online work to their friends.
Benefits of Working From Home Statistics
Data on working from home shows definite benefits to the remote type of work as there are positive opportunities both for the employers and the workers. These range from cutting expenses on office rent to reduced risk of mental and physical exhaustion. Let’s explore statistics about working from home to highlight some of the main benefits.
4. Companies save money by having remote workers
When a business goes remote, it no longer has to pay an exorbitant amount of money for renting an office, along with other expenses like paying utility bills and ordering office supplies. About 50 workers on staff can save 500,000 dollars annually in such costs.
5. Positive impact on mental and physical health
One of the most important working from home facts is that this type of arrangement is good for the health of employees. 93% of respondents stated that working remotely has positively influenced their mental health and 90% told FlexJobs about a noticeable improvement in their physical condition.
6. Teleworkers save time on their commute
According to a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, remote workers save around 72 minutes in commute time every day. What is more important, all that free time is channeled into working more. That is one of the most surprising working remotely trends.
Remote Workforce Statistics by Industry and Occupation
Some industries and jobs are more suited to remote work than others. Tech, marketing and customer services roles tend to thrive in a remote environment where digital tools boost productivity and collaboration. By looking at distributed workforce statistics across industries and occupations, we can see where remote work is heading and which sectors are more susceptible to it.
7. Industry
In 2024, the computer and IT sector leads the way, followed by accounting, finance, marketing, and healthcare all using digital tools to operate. The customer service sector has adapted to remote work through software, and sales reps use virtual platforms to interact with clients.
Administrative roles can do tasks remotely, and HR and operations not only go remote but also help other sectors adapt by reshaping workplace policies. This widespread acceptance of remote work post COVID times shows that industries are ready to evolve, and professionals are more open to change.
8. Occupation
In 2023, accounting was the number one remote job, as traditional roles moved to remote. Executive assistants adjusted just fine, managing tasks and communications from home. Financial analysts and project managers excelled in remote, using data analysis and team coordination. Customer service reps used remote platforms to keep client relationships intact.
Software engineers were still top remote, and customer success managers kept clients happy through virtual interactions. Accounting managers adapted to remote oversight of financials and product designers collaborated creatively, using digital tools. Writers kept producing content just fine in flexible environments, as most roles adapted to remote work.
Remote Employee Statistics by Demographics
How many workers are working from home? Are they men or women? What is their average age and levels of education? In this section, we’ll try to find answers to these questions and paint a portrait of a typical remote worker.
9. Higher percentage of employees who work remotely are men
Men work from home more than women, with 38% full time and 23% part time. On the other hand, 30% of women work remotely full time and 22% part time. There’s a gender gap here that indicates the necessity for more inclusive remote work policies to bolster equality.
10. Remote employees are aged between 24 and 35
Remote worker statistics indicate that the average age of an employee is between 24 and 35 years. Within this age group, 39% work remotely full time and 25% do it on a part time basis. The younger workforce is embracing the flexibility and autonomy of online work. This means the number of people working from home will continue to grow.
11. Advanced degrees equal remote work
According to remote hiring statistics, professional workers with advanced degrees account for 38% of the remote workforce, while bachelors make up 35%. The proportion decreases dramatically if we consider employees with lower educational levels. Remote workers with an associate degree or college experience comprise 15%, high school graduates stand at 7%, and those without high school diplomas make up 2%.
What Employees Think About Remote Work
The work from anywhere trend has been going on for several years now and employees have found many pros to it for their health and financial gains. Naturally, there arises another question, what do they think about other aspects of their work like onboarding or getting a raise?
12. Advantage - matter of opinion
One of the more curious remote worker stats shows a divide between employees who think that telecommuting helps to advance their career (18%) and those believing it actually hurts their progression (19%). All in all, 63% of remote workers feel it has no impact on their career.
13. Remote workers easily bond with their remote coworkers
Working in an office lends itself to networking and making friends, but is it easy? 46% of teleworkers feel that it’s far easier to establish a relationship with their remote coworkers. One-fourth of respondents believe that it’s actually harder or makes no real difference.
14. No going back to the office
With the pandemic slowly dwindling down, not a lot of people are eager to return to their company’s grounds. 56% of respondents claim that they know someone who has already quit or is willing to quit their job if they’re forced to work in the office. Fewer and fewer people are inclined to lose their newly acquired freedom.
What Employers Think About Remote Work
Do companies love remote work as much as the employees do? Employers’ opinions are divided on the matter. Luckily, there are telecommuting statistics that decisively show that most of the time they see positive results when employees can work from home, part time or full time.
15. Managers are surprised by the effectiveness of teleworking
When the pandemic took hold, many executives were shocked by the percentage of Americans working from home. As time passed, 56% of hiring managers think that this is a positive arrangement, 35% got what they expected, and 9% said that it was actually worse.
16. 1/3 of employers do not give their employees the opportunity to work remotely
Despite the evidence of remote workforce growth, 32.8% of companies do not allow their employees to work from home, and 11% authorize only a day of working remotely. 21.7% of employers permit their workers to perform their job duties for five days a week.
17. 52.1% of remote businesses hire independents
WFH statistics indicate that more than half of companies who fully embraced the remote work arrangement are more likely to hire independent professionals, while the percentage for non-remote businesses is 38%.
Remote Work Productivity Statistics
The percentage of companies working remotely is at an all-time high. Why is that so? If we don’t take into account COVID, we’re left with pretty convincing WFH productivity statistics that shine a light on why businesses that follow this model succeed in their undertakings.
18. Employees believe that remote work is more productive
As per FlexJobs survey, 77% of workers think that their productivity is higher when working from home compared to a traditional office, with only 11% seeing no difference, and 12% feeling unproductive. These working from home productivity statistics describe the opinion of the majority of teleworkers.
19. Companies are less skeptical
Mercer, an HR and workplace benefits consulting firm, surveyed 800 employers and concluded that 94% of them believe that productivity stayed the same or increased when employees began working from home at the start of the pandemic.
Work From Home Future Trends
It doesn’t matter if you’re a part of a small or large company, telecommuting trends will continue to change the way we work. The percentage of companies working from home and the percentage of people who work from home will increase along with the number of available jobs that support this type of arrangement. Let’s examine predictions based on the remote work data.
20. 32.6 million United States citizens will work remotely by 2025
Upwork estimates that 32.6 million Americans will be working from home next year. This statistic equates to about 22% of the global workforce. Based on this projection, we can safely assume that WFH trends in a continuous trajectory and there is no dip in sight.
21. Remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions
People who go to work full time in an office damage the environment by simply commuting with a car. One day working from home can cut emissions by 2%, while 2 to 4 days cuts greenhouse emissions by up to 29%. If we consider the whole week of remote work, cut emissions amount to a stunning 54%.
22. Full time office is not an option
Slack conducted a survey in six countries and discovered that 72% of 9,000 workers prefer a hybrid work model. Only 12% of respondents said that they’re more partial to an office setting, while 13% desire to work from home all the time if given the option.
Conclusion
The shift to remote work has changed the employment landscape and working from home statistics tell us that it’s a good thing for both employers and employees. More and more workers want to work remotely or in a hybrid model because of the flexibility and better work life balance that comes with it. With a significant percentage of workforce working remotely and companies seeing the benefits of this method, it’s clear this is not just a phase.
As we move forward, both employers and employees need to begin embracing this new reality. The former should adopt more flexible work policies and create a culture that supports online work and the latter should speak up for their needs in this new world.
Read our blog to stay updated on the latest statistics and information to help you run a successful business. Integrate Flowlu into your remote work practices to streamline management, improve collaboration between employees, automate routine tasks, cut office costs, and more.
According to remote work growth statistics, hybrid employment—working from home some days and in person on others—is more popular than entirely remote work, which isn’t as common as one might imagine. As of August 2023, an average of 20% of employees worked remotely.
Telecommuting benefits statistics paint a picture of the common advantages of working remotely:
- Reduced expenditures on fuel, parking, and vehicle maintenance.
- Additional personal time and an improved work life balance.
- Low amount of stress and high work satisfaction.
- Increased productivity for remote workers.
- Makes relocation for work unnecessary.
Out of all employees surveyed for the Federal Work-Life Survey Report, 72% reported that they had achieved better performance, 76% would remain within their present company, and 83% had higher morale than before. Telework statistics indicate that these are benefits for employers.
73% of remote workers miss the social aspect of working in an office. When working from home, telling a story by the watercooler or having work related conversations just isn’t possible. Remote work growth might be hindered by the need for human contact.
46% white collar workers surveyed by USA Today claimed to be more productive at home, whereas only 16% said they’re more productive in the workplace. The percentage of workers working remotely who are more likely to put in additional hours is 38%.
