What’s going on:
Labor Department data has shown that service-industry workers, lower-income workers, and employees without degrees are all clocking in more hours working from home than before the pandemic, according to The Wall Street Journal. This trend is seen across various industries, including healthcare, customer service, data entry, and tech support.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the average number of hours that employees spent working at home per day went up among high school graduates with no college degree by 42 minutes from 2021. Additionally, the average number of hours employees spent working at home per day among the lowest 25% of earners went up 1 hour and 19 minutes from 2021.
Why it matters:
Remote work is reshaping more than just jobs that require a college degree. It’s providing opportunities for those without degrees and those living in states with lower costs of living. However, as the data shows, this shift towards remote and hybrid work in the labor market is likely contributing to longer work hours in these newfound opportunities. Service workers’ time spent working from home went up on average 32 minutes from 2021, according to WSJ.
Meanwhile, professional, management, business, and finance, and office and administrative support all went down by 23 minutes, four minutes and two minutes, respectively.
How it’ll impact the future:
The labor market could see a greater diversity in roles being performed remotely, leading to a more inclusive and flexible work environment. Remote work could lead to reduced income inequality by providing more opportunities for employees without a college degree. However, the data shows that those employees in a variety of industries are likely to be working longer days at work on average than before the widespread adoption of remote work. These trends could influence future education and training needs at companies, with a greater emphasis on digital literacy and remote working skills.
