Remote Work Levels Hit Lowest Point Since 2020

Work-from-home levels have hit their lowest point since the early stages of the pandemic, according to the latest findings from WFH Research. In May, only 26.6% of paid workdays were performed from home — a steep decline from the peak of around 60% during the pandemic and slightly down from 28.6% in May 2023. 

This suggests that an average of 1 in 10 workers has added one more day of commuting each week this year compared to last year. 

Despite this overall reduction, remote work continues to be a predominant feature in several white-collar sectors. Remote work experienced a dramatic five-fold increase from 2019 to 2023, mirroring almost four decades’ worth of pre-pandemic growth in just a few years, according to Forbes. 

In pre-pandemic 2019, only 7.2% of workdays were remote, a figure that surged to 61.5% by May 2020. 

Currently, the composition of the U.S. workforce includes 13% fully remote workers, 26% hybrid workers, and 62% fully on-site employees. Notably, age appears to play a role in these patterns: workers in their 50s and 60s are more likely to work fully on-site, with 68% doing so, compared to 62% of those in their 40s, 59% in their 30s, and 57% in their 20s.

Interestingly, companies that were founded in 2020 exhibit the highest levels of remote work, with 36% of their workdays being remote, largely due to their inherently digital-first business models. 

Firms established before or after this period display lower rates of work-from-home days, according to the WFH Research study, which included economists from Stanford University and the University of Chicago.

It’s unclear whether remote work opportunities will continue this path of decline, but the data points to it being likely.