Did you know that most analysts believe that 25-30% of the workforce will be working remotely by the end of 2021? Interested in learning more about Remote Working? We know finding facts and figures about Remote Working can be time-consuming and frustrating, so we put together this list of the top 101 facts, notes, and statistics so you can easily reference them and refer back to them any time in the future. This space is constantly changing and evolving, so if you see a fact that is not up-to-date, feel free to let us know. And if you know a stat that we should add, let us know that too!
1. Remote work is a working style that allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment.
*It is based on the concept that work does not need to be done in a specific place to be executed successfully.
2. BlueFace predicts that by 2025, remote working will compete with office locations.
3. Stats showed JD Edwards teleworkers were shown to be 20-25 percent more productive than their office colleagues.
*Additionally, American Express employees who worked from home were 43 percent more productive.
4. According to a study by Softchoice, 74% of North American office workers reported they would change jobs based on a work from home policy.
5. 53.3% of developers said working remotely was a priority when looking for a new job, and the highest job satisfaction was reported by developers who were entirely or almost entirely remote.
6. 66% of Flexjob survey respondents said their productivity improved when not in an office, and 76% said there are fewer distractions outside of offices.
7. 83% of employees feel they don’t need an office to be productive, according to Workforce Futures.
8. A Stanford study found that when call center employees worked from home, their performance increased by 13%. Of that, 9% were working more minutes, and 4% were from handling more calls per minute.
9. A Cisco-sponsored study performed and results concluded that partially working from home resulted in a 12% increase in productivity.
*After AT&T’s telework initiative, the company reported saving $150 million in extra hours of productive work from these employees.
10. Cisco’s Internet Business Services Group also reported an annual savings of $277 million in productivity because of remote work.
11. In a survey by Polycom Inc, two out of three respondents said they were more productive working remotely than when they worked at an on-site office.
*Additionally, three out of four respondents mentioned working remotely helps them with work-life balance.
12. AT&T reported savings of $30 million a year in real estate alone from their telework initiative.
13. Businesses can save as much as $11,000 per person, per year by allowing them to work from home, according to Global Workplace Analytics.
14. Dell cited savings of $12 million a year from reduced office space costs.
15. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average worker spends nearly an hour traveling to and from their home and office every day–more than 300 hours in a year.
*Dell estimates that employees who worked remotely ten days a month saved about $350 a year in commuting costs.
16. Global Workplace Analytics likewise suggested that on-site workers spent around 11 days in traffic per year as well as $2,500 to $6,000 on various expenses related to showing up at an office.
17. Remote worker respondents to a CoSo Cloud survey said they saved as much as $5,240 per year by working from home.
18. 2017 State of Remote Work found that companies that have remote workers see 25% less turnover.
19. 79% of employees said they would be more loyal to a business if it offered more flexibility.
*32% said they had left a job because of the lack of flexibility, according to Flexjobs.
20. One study reported that over 50% of women wanted to quit or reduce their working hours after having a child, and this was only half as likely among work at home moms.
*Another study showed that 56% of women in the tech industry leave their jobs mid-career. 51% said being a working mother made it hard for them to move forward in their career.
21. According to a study by AARP, 74% of older Americans wanted flexible schedules from their job, and 34% wanted to work from home.
22. 85% of Millennials said they’d prefer to telecommute 100% of the time. 50% said they would be okay with telecommuting some of the time.
23. 70% of remote workers felt left out of the workplace.
24. By 2025, an estimated 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month.
*While 2020 may be considered the year of remote work, it is just the beginning as we see the trend continuing in 2021.
25. Another recent Gartner CFO survey revealed that over two-thirds (74%) plan to permanently shift employees to remote work after the Covid-19 crisis ends.
26. Currently, 4.7 million people in the U.S. work remotely, up from 3.9 million in 2015.
27. Remote work statistics from a recent survey showed that more than half of the US workforce, or 56.8 percent to be exact, are working remotely at least part of the time.
28. Over the last five years, remote work has grown by 44 percent.
*From 2016 to 2017, remote work grew by 7.9 percent. And over the last 10 years remote work has seen a 91 percent increase.
29. Research shows that 40 percent of respondents said the biggest benefit of working remotely is a flexible schedule.
*This was followed by 30 percent of respondents listing flexible location as the next biggest benefit of remote working. Other important factors included more time to spend with family, and the benefit of working from home.
30. As it stands, managers believe that 26.7 percent of the workforce will continue to remain fully remote in 2021.
*That means that even as offices begin to open up again and employees are allowed to return to their workplaces, a significant proportion of them will continue to work from home.
31. Managers expect up to 22.9 percent of the workforce to be fully remote in 2025.
*That’s nearly two times the 12.3 percent that was doing so even before the COVID-19 outbreak.
32. As of February 2020, 19.5 million people were estimated to be working remotely 100 percent of the time.
*By 2025, this number is expected to grow to 36.2 million—16.7 million more in just five years.
33. Research conducted shows that 65 percent of respondents are more productive in their home office than at a traditional workplace.
*Additionally, 85 percent of businesses confirm that productivity has increased in their company because of greater flexibility.
34. According to a poll by Gallup, more than half of US employees (53 percent) who are working remotely would like to continue doing so even in a post-COVID-19 world.
*As companies settle in and get comfy with this new norm, some are starting to see the benefits it offers. Companies like Twitter, Square, Microsoft, and Shopify have even announced that their staff can continue to remote work indefinitely.
35. Report found that only 18 percent of workers around the world worked remotely full-time.
*In comparison, in the US, remote workers work remotely full-time 66 percent more often than the global average.
36. US employers are expected to save at least $30 billion a day for permitting their employees to work from home—quite a substantial amount of savings.
*With no need for a larger office space, companies can downsize for the time being (or permanently, if remote working is being offered indefinitely). This can help to lower costs such as rent, utility bills, and even cleaning services.
37. Oracle-owned Sun Microsystems, which has been allowing its workers to work from home for over a decade, says they save up to $68 million a year in its real estate costs.
38. Research shows that two-thirds of knowledge workers think that offices will disappear by 2030.
39. Nearly half of employees worked remotely full-time during the pandemic.
40. The amount of employees working remotely prior to the pandemic was 30%, compared to 48% now.
41. 48% of employees will keep working remotely at least some of the time after COVID-19.
42. Modern employees would now choose to spend 40% of their time working from home.
43. 62% of employees now expect their employers will allow them to work remotely moving forward.
44. 77% of employees say that working remotely will help their company lower operating costs.
45. 78% of remote employees agree they want to work remotely to avoid distractions.
*This remote work statistic is closely related to the previous one. Loud colleagues constitute the biggest distracting factor in an office and, when you work from home, you obviously don’t have to deal with that. Ultimately, that contributes to the higher productivity levels we talked about before.
46. 16% of companies globally are fully-remote.
*Although it is still a low number, the fact that nowadays there are companies that have no office or headquarters whatsoever and that operate 100% remotely shows just how much remote work has grown and evolved. If you ask us, we’d say this number will go nowhere but up over the next few years.
47. Around 62% of employees aged 22 to 65 say they work remotely at least occasionally.
*Nowadays, many companies choose to be hybrids, meaning that while they do have an office where employees can go to work, there’s also the option for them to work from home at least occasionally.
48. Since 2015, the number of people who work from home has risen by 140%.
*There are many reasons why remote work has been and continues to be on the rise, but two of the main ones are the fast advancements in technology that allow people to do their work from anywhere in the world and, as we’ll soon see, the increasing number of people who value flexibility and a good work-life balance when looking for new job opportunities.
49. The industries with the highest number of remote workers are healthcare (15%), technology (10%), and financial services (9%).
*Remote work is typically associated with technology and digital marketing roles, such as web development, web design, and content creation. However, healthcare is actually the industry with the most remote employees. It just comes to show that, no matter which area you work in, it’s worth always looking for remote opportunities.
50. Remote work is more common in cities with high-income levels.
*This might be explained by the fact that those who live in cities with higher Income Trend Scores can more easily afford the hardware (and, in some cases, software) necessary to transition into remote work. Additionally, a lot of these people most likely have desk jobs, which are easier to turn into remote positions.
51. 44% of companies in the world don’t allow remote work.
*Despite the undeniable rise of remote work, there’s still space to work, as almost half of all the companies don’t allow their employees to work remotely at all. Given the circumstances that most companies experienced in 2020, chances are that this number will start decreasing.
52. By 2028, 73% of all departments are expected to have remote workers.
*In eight years, it’s predicted that 73% of all teams will include remote employees. Not only does this confirm what we already know about the evolution of remote work, but it also shows that telecommuting will become acceptable in an even wider range of industries.
53. 99% of people would choose to work remotely for the rest of their life, even if it was just part-time.
*This is probably one of the most powerful remote work statistics of today. Employees want more freedom and flexibility, and if they could, nearly all of them would like to have the option to work remotely for the rest of their life. The surge of remote work is clearly more than just a fad!
54. 69% of millennials would give up on certain work benefits for a more flexible working space.
*When we said that today’s professionals value freedom and flexibility, we weren’t joking. More than half of millennials would be willing to give up on other benefits if it meant that they could work from home and have the work-life balance that we mentioned in the previous statistic.
55. Telecommuting reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an amount of 600,000 cars.
*Remote work isn’t just good for the employers and the employees: it’s actually a great way to help our planet. The reason is simple: since people work from home, they don’t have to commute every single day, which means that fewer cars are used and pollution levels go down significantly.
56. The average annual income of remote workers is $4,000 higher than that of other workers.
*As if the benefits in terms of productivity and work-life balance weren’t enough, remote workers can end up making more money than traditional workers. It’s important to mention that many remote workers do have roles that are high on the company hierarchy, which probably contributes to this statistic. Nevertheless, there is great financial potential in getting a remote job.
57. Remote workers save around $7,000 per year in transportation, food, and childcare.
*Besides making more, remote workers are able to save more as well, since they don’t have to pay for gas or public transportation cards, they can simply cook at home instead of eating out for lunch every day, and they can take care of their kids once they get back from school.
58. Companies that allow remote work see an average increase of $2,000 in profit per remote worker.
*The financial benefits of remote work aren’t only for the employees — the employers can actually save significant amounts of money as well. After all, the fewer in-office employees a company has, the less they have to pay in terms of rent, bills, supplies, travel reimbursements, repair and maintenance costs, and more.
59. Small companies are 2x more likely to hire full-time remote workers.
*It’s clear by now that adopting a work-from-home policy can help companies save large amounts of money and that explains why small businesses are more open to hiring full-time remote workers. Doing so will allow them to increase the budget for other operations, such as marketing and advertising, that will help them not only survive, but also grow into a larger corporation.
60. 85% of managers believe that having remote workers will become the new normal for many teams.
*Although a few managers might still have some doubts about remote work and its benefits, most (6 in 7, to be specific) believe that hybrid teams of remote and in-office employees will be the norm in the future.
61. 64% of recruiters say that being able to pitch a work-from-home policy helps them find high-quality talent.
*Considering that many potential candidates will be looking for companies that allow for some freedom and flexibility, it comes as no surprise that more than half of recruiters have an easier time finding top talent when they can promote it as a partially or fully remote position.
62. 74% of workers say that having a remote work opportunity would make them less likely to leave a company.
*Managing a remote team might seem challenging because the coworkers don’t see each other on a regular basis and creating a strong company culture becomes harder, which could make it easier for people to resign. However, statistics show that this isn’t the reality, as 74% of people would be less likely to leave a company if they could work remotely.
63. In 2017, there was a 50% decrease in resignations in companies that allowed remote work.
*If the previous statistic was hard to believe, knowing that companies have actually experienced it first-hand might make it sound a bit more convincing. According to research conducted by Stanford, the number of resignations in companies was cut in half once they started allowing employees to work remotely.
64. The three biggest challenges associated with remote work are unplugging after work (22%), loneliness (19%) and communication (17%).
*Working remotely isn’t all roses and for many people, the biggest challenge is being able to unplug from work once their working hours are over. Apart from that, the loneliness and the hindered communication and collaboration that come with not working alongside fellow coworkers are two other problems many remote workers struggle with.
65. 54% of IT professionals consider remote workers to pose a greater security risk than traditional workers.
*Remote workers depend on technology and the internet to be able to do their job and the truth is that they’re always at risk of being cyber-attacked. That’s why it is so important for remote team managers to provide training on cyber-security and to make sure that the remote employees have the software necessary to protect their laptop.
66. Only 23% of remote workers state that their employer covers the cost of a coworking space membership.
*Although remote workers can work from home or from a coffee shop, sometimes going to a coworking space is necessary, if, for example, they ever need to meet up with coworkers or clients, or they simply want to fight the loneliness that many telecommuters struggle with. However, a mere 23% of companies cover the monthly costs of a coworking membership.
67. Remote employees are 16% less likely to agree that their manager involves them in the goal-setting process.
*Knowing that communication is one of the biggest challenges remote workers face, it might not come as a surprise that many feel like their manager doesn’t involve them when setting goals at work, which, of course, doesn’t make them feel as engaged as it would be desired.
68. 4.7 million people were already working remotely from home before the COVID-19 pandemic.
*An analysis of the data issued by the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that 4.7 million people, which make about 3.4% of the US workforce, were already working remotely before the novel coronavirus took the world by storm. This was up by 1% or 0.8 million from 2015.
69. 88% of the organizations, worldwide, made it mandatory or encouraged their employees to work from home after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
*A global survey conducted by Gartner, Inc. found that 88% of business organizations all over the world mandated or encouraged all their employees to work from home as the virus started to spread at exponential rates. Furthermore, about 97% of the organizations immediately canceled all work-related travel.
70. 37% of remote workers stay productive by taking breaks.
*Participants in an Airtasker survey indicated that taking regular breaks was the most effective tool for productivity. So if you need to work from home, make sure that you incorporate time for a breather in your routine.
71. Having set working hours is the most effective way to stay productive for 33% of telecommuters.
*During the same survey, work from home employees indicated that having set working hours was the second most popular way to keep them going. Interestingly, this is also one of the top methods that offices around the world employ for better productivity.
72. 2020 has seen a 9% increase in Google search interest related to “team-building”.
*That’s certainly one of the most interesting Google statistics and trends. It seems that employees working from home are struggling to adapt to working in teams while working long distance. No surprise there. But this is something you need to be aware of if you want to make working from home your thing.
73. 19% of remote employees report loneliness as their biggest challenge.
*Unfortunately, a lack of face-to-face communication seems to leave many remote workers dissatisfied. Loneliness appears to be one of the significant issues that they need to deal with. If this goes on too long, it can cause a significant decrease in people’s psychological and emotional well-being, resulting in a greater need for quality online therapy.
74. 20% of remote workers identify communication as an obstacle.
*Not having a centralized office can make simple communication between employees far more challenging. If this overlaps with the issues seen from the remote work isolation statistics above, there is cause for concern.
75. 55% of U.S. workers say remote work can succeed in their industry.
*In the main, there is a strong belief that there is a place for remote work in most industries. This is particularly so in fields that have embraced the digital age, such as software, finance, and media. According to these same telecommuting stats for 2020 75% of workers in these fields have high hopes for working remotely in the future.
76. 57% of employees in the financial industry can work from home.
*It’s no surprise that the largest portion of people who can and do work from home are in finance.
77. Only 14% of workers in the transport and utilities industry can work from home.
*All in all, these industries have the lowest number of remote workers. The practicalities of their job mean that there is much less room for flexibility.
78. 16% of remote workers are managers.
*According to work from home statistics, a significant number of people who work from home fall under the management category. In general, telecommuters tend to hold higher positions in their company.
79. Businesses would save an average of $11,000 annually per half-time telecommuter.
*Companies and employers can save too. And given that the lack of money is among the top reasons small businesses fail, it’s not something to overlook.
80. 25% of employees would take a 10% pay cut to work remotely.
*Even though there is a potential to earn more, Owl Labs telecommuting statistics 2019 show that many remote workers will take a pay cut to be able to work from home. To be more precise, a third of workers would be willing to take a 5% reduction whereas a quarter of them would give up 10%. Surprisingly, more than 20% will take an even greater reduction.
81. As of April 2020, 67 percent of organizations reported an increase in spending on web conferencing software.
*Companies with digital output are quick to understand the necessity of a reliable software solution given that remote work is a trend that is here to stay beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
82. Amazingly 99% of remote workers would like to continue doing so to some extent.
*Contrary to what they say, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. However, when it comes to remote work, it seems to be emerald green! The workers love the increased flexibility, freedom, and independence that working remotely provides. Additionally, for you as an employer, it would mean that your workforce will be less likely to back out of your arrangement.
83. An astounding 42% of employees with a remote work option plan to work remotely more often in the next five years.
*Owl Labs remote work statistics 2019 reveal that almost half of the workers who have the option to work remotely, not only plan to do so but also expect to do so more often than they currently are doing over the coming years.
84. 69% of young managers allow their team members to work remotely.
*A research study from Upwork titled “Future Workforce Report” delved a bit into remote working stats and has found that 69% of the young managers (primarily millennials and some early achievers from Gen Z) allow their team members to work remotely. Within this group, 75% of managers reported that they have employees who spend a significant chunk of their working hours working remotely.
85. Zoom is one of the most widely used apps to meet the increased virtual collaboration needs amidst COVID-19.
*As the majority of the workforce, worldwide, shifted to remote working after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO, the needs for virtual collaboration drastically increased. While different companies opted for different apps and tools, Zoom gained worldwide popularity, and its usage increases exponentially. In April, the company reported that it had surpassed 300 million daily participants. However, Zoom users are not only entrepreneurs and working professionals; they also include a large number of teachers and students.
86. 86% of companies now have the policy to deal with coronavirus-related absences.
*Majority of companies have formulated policies to deal with coronavirus related absences. 48% want their employees to first use their sick leaves, followed by vacation leaves, and then, if the need arises, the employers will consider granting additional PTO for COVID-19 absences. However, 20% of businesses have increased PTO for people affected by coronavirus or have an affected family member to take care of. An additional 18% of business organizations have increased PTO for parents who need to take care of their children (as schools are closed).
87. 25% to 30% of the workforce will be working remotely from home by the end of 2021.
*Kate Lister, the president of Global Workplace Analytics, has forecasted that about 25% to 30% of the workforce will be working remotely, for several days a week, by the end of 2021.
88. Upwork’s 2020 Future Workforce Pulse Report estimates that 1 in 4 Americans (26.7% of the workforce) will be working remotely in 2021.
*And 36.2 million Americans will be fully remote by 2025—which is an increase of 16.8 million people compared to pre-pandemic rates.
89. Of the 2,100 people who reported they had a mental illness, such as anxiety or depression, 80% said that having a flexible job would help them manage their mental health.
90. 28% of remote companies have women CEOs, founders, or presidents.
*Women are leading the charge when it comes to remote work. A study conducted by Remote.co found that women have more leadership roles in remote companies than in traditional brick-and-mortar ones. As of 2017, women only made up 5.2% of CEOs in S&P 500 companies, but remote work arrangements might help equal the playing field.
91. Companies that support a work-at-home policy could see 10% increase in employee retention.
*Work-life balance starts with flexible work options. By providing employees the autonomy to work where and when they want, employers can expect to see massive spikes in employee retention. A study by Gartner found that by supporting a flexible work culture, employee retention rates could increase 10% by 2020.
92. 63% of employees believe the 8-hour work day will disappear.
*As remote working continues to grow in popularity, it’s no wonder that the 8-hour work day will become a thing of the past. With most remote workers citing increased productivity and engagement, they can accomplish more (and better) work in less time. That reality, along with the fact that many remote workers can set their own hours, will firmly close the door on traditional workdays.
93. Remote workers are 24% more likely to be happy.
*A study conducted by Owl Labs found that many workers feel that even one day of remote work can leave them feeling happier. Among respondents, 86% of people believe that working remotely alleviates stress and improves general well-being and health.
94. 1 in 3 remote workers are freelancers.
*With freelancing on the rise, many have sought to measure exactly how many people are taking advantage of the gig economy. An online investment company, Betterment, estimates that more than 33% of workers are freelancing. Intuit predicts that by 2020, the gig economy will make up 43% of the American workforce.
95. Statistics about remote work show that 21% of workers would give up some of their vacation time to get flexible working options.
*The possibility of having a flexible working environment is so tempting that more than one-fifth of all respondents would gladly give up their vacations to obtain it. Interestingly, 28% of people would even accept a 10-20% pay cut if it allowed them to work remotely. For 20%, even employer-matched retirement contributions aren’t as valuable as flexible working.
96. 44% of remote workers who have unlimited vacation options only take two or three weeks off per year.
*Even when their companies offer unlimited vacation options, nearly half of all remote workers actually opt for just two or three weeks of vacation a year. Besides that, 10% settle only for one week, while 5% are okay with less than that. Another 5% don’t take any vacation time at all. This is one reason why remote worker productivity is usually higher than average.
97. The biggest problem for 22% of remote workers is unplugging after work.
*The flexibility of remote work sometimes makes it difficult to shut off from work and make use of free time. At least, that’s the case for 22% of remote workers. According to these work from home statistics, another major issue is loneliness. In fact, that’s the biggest problem for 19% of employees. Besides that, 17% of remote works believe that this type of work does not allow normal communication and collaboration with coworkers.
98. 74% of workers would quit their job if offered more flexible options elsewhere.
*The option of working from home once in a while is such great motivation for 74% of workers that they would gladly leave their current jobs to obtain it. This is one of the reasons why companies that don’t support it have higher turnover rates than those that do. These remote work from home statistics also show that 85% of workers want their employer to provide them with the technology they need to work remotely.
99. Brainstorming is the most challenging type of meeting when it comes to remote work.
*This makes sense, because brainstorming is all about speed, wit, and bouncing ideas around the room. According to these stats, strategic planning meetings come second, followed by all-hands and collaborative meetings. The least problematic are one-on-ones and stand-up meetings.
100. 78% of people who have college degrees would prefer flexible time.
*This remote work survey confirms that a large number of people who work to acquire higher education do so hoping it will provide them with more flexibility in their work. Interestingly, 32% of respondents who said that they would love to have a flexible schedule are already at a managerial level or higher.
101. 75% of remote workers say their company doesn’t pay for their home internet.
*Remote work statistics also show us that remote work comes with some additional expenses people don’t usually think about. Three-quarters of remote workers have to pay for their own internet expenses because the company doesn’t cover it. On the other hand, 18% of employees are lucky enough that their company covers this expense in full, while 7% say the company covers this cost partially.
Sources
Remote Year, Time Doctor, Forbes, Oberlo, Intuition, Findstack, Review 42, Remote.co, Remote Bliss, & Smallbizgenius.
