Remote Working Statistics

Remote Working Statistics

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, many UK businesses have now been shown that remote work is not only possible but also desirable for many workers. The number one benefit listed by remote workers was the increased flexible hours that were offered by fully remote roles. Many claimed the ability to better organise their hours around other priorities was also a major factor in their desire to work remotely.

How many people work from home in the UK?

According to ONS 44% of UK workers currently work in some form of remote capacity in 2023. 16% were full-time remote workers and 28% were hybrid workers who split their time between office and home-based work. There was also a 14% decrease in the number of fully remote workers in the UK between 2022 and 2023. Further to this, only 10% of hybrid workers want to return to a fully office-based work style. UK employers are aware of the fact that remote working options are desirable for most potential employees post covid and so more than half of UK employers are offering remote work options in 2023.

There is also certainly a great amount of interest in the offer with the search term “remote jobs” currently being searched for 18000 times a month in the UK on Google. With many companies understanding the desirability of remote working post covid and now offering remote work as an incentive, the trend of remote working doesn’t seem set to change.

Whilst many people find the idea of remote work attractive, many job roles simply cannot accommodate it. studies have found that it is not available to everyone. Whilst some jobs will obviously not be able to be carried out remotely it also seems that your education level will open up more opportunities to you.

According to Forbes magazine, workers with more education are more likely to have remote work options.

This makes sense when considering that many advanced degree holders will have greater specialisations and will more likely be involved in higher-level planning and management. This would allow them the ability to be more flexible with their work environment than a graduate or intern who would likely benefit from being in office. This is a generalisation however as the nature of the work will tend to be the main factor in regards to remote working options.

Remote working statistics for the UK

• Only 1.5% of UK workers were remote-based in 1981
• Around 8% of UK workers did not enter the office at all in 2021
• 60% of people worked from home during the first UK lockdown
• Only 12% of UK workers claim to have worked remotely prior to Covid-19
• 54% of millennials work remotely
• London had the highest percentage of remote workers in the UK
• Degree holders are twice as likely to obtain remote work
• 38% of the UK population, 20 million people, work from home at least some of the time

Lawyers, accountants and other professional services made up the majority of remote workers whilst jobs that involved hands-on labour and machine operation were not. According to Forbes magazine, 65% of people would prefer to work fully remotely.

Professions statistically more likely to have remote work include the following roles

1. Accountant
2. Executive Assistant
3. Customer Service Representative
4. Senior Financial Analyst
5. Recruiter
6. Project Manager
7. Technical Writer
8. Product Marketing Manager
9. Customer Success Manager
10. Graphic Designer

The great resignation and remote working statistics

The ‘great resignation’ as it has been often called by media outlets is an ongoing trend of mass resignations and subsequent labour shortages for certain industries. Occurring during the Covid pandemic between 2020 and 2021, many workers across the UK and other Western nations resigned en masse in an uncoordinated trend. The reasons for this are speculated to be the social changes and attitudes towards work which came about as a result of the Covid lockdowns. The resulting resignations have directly correlated with the rise of remote working as statistics show that around 30% of the current UK workforce is now working remotely in some capacity. The reasons for the great resignation have often been attributed to the fact that many UK companies prior to the pandemic refused to offer remote working to their employees as a permanent benefit. This led to dissatisfaction with many resigning in search of roles that could accommodate a remote working policy. Overall, many people value the idea of remote working and the improved work-life balance it can bring. As a result, companies are being forced to rethink how they can offer value to potential employees and retain talent when the expectation of remote work availability is becoming more common.

Pros and cons of remote working

Some people have reported negative aspects of remote working such as being isolated from colleagues, a blur between work and home, an increased need to show self-discipline when unsupervised and so on. Whilst these are certainly aspects that can prove a drawback for remote workers, most jobs offering remote work are operating on a hybrid model. As for the positives of full and part-time remote work, there are more workers in favour of being offered remote work than against it. A 2022 YouGov poll found that 77% of respondents felt remote work should be a permanent feature in their workplace.

This was largely attributed to the pros of remote working such as:

• Better work-life balance
• Less time spent commuting
• Reduced stress

Is remote working here to stay?

In short, yes. With the number of people desiring some form of remote work in the UK and the fact businesses now know this can make them more attractive to potential employees, the likelihood of remote work being here to stay is high. The Covid lockdowns also proved to many that remote working is possible in today’s digital age and depending on the role, work efficiency is likely to be unaffected. In fact, many people who work remotely express greater job satisfaction and better mental health. The reduced commuting times and costs can also be a big bonus at a time when many incomes are being squeezed by the cost of living crisis. Even the ability to work hybrid can offer big benefits, as many companies will allow employees to work from home on Fridays when people are more likely to finish early.

Overall remote working is almost certainly here to stay as too many people desire it and companies are now competing to offer it.

References

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/remote-work-statistics/#:~:text=As%20of%202023%2C%2012.7%25%20of,to%20a%20hybrid%20work%20model.

Remote working statistics UK

This article is intended as generic information only and is not intended to apply to anybody’s specific circumstances, demands or needs. The views expressed are not intended to provide any financial service or to give any recommendation or advice. Products and services are only mentioned for illustrative rather than promotional purposes.