30% Of Work Done Last Month Occurred At Home

USA – Data collected by WFH Research showed that almost 30 percent of all work that happened in the country in January 2023 were done remotely, reported The Hill on Tuesday (21 February, SGT).

In particular, the figure for Washington and other major urban centres were nearly 50 percent.

Some workplace experts believe that remote work is here to stay, and employers have learned to embrace it.

Still, many Americans have returned to the office for good, and many weren’t able to work from home (WFH). This group includes those who work in bars, shops, farms, factories, and restaurants.

“55 percent of Americans can’t work from home,” said Nicholas Bloom, a researcher at WFH Research and an economist at Stanford University.

A smaller group, about 13 percent, work from home entirely. They include tech and accounting professionals, as well as customer support service who answer the phone.

The remaining 30 percent of staff in the United States make up the hybrid labour force. They account for the majority of suburban, white-collar Americans, who are mostly college graduates.

“About one-third of Americans can work hybrid,” noted Bloom. “Managers, professionals. My students, future Stanford graduates, they’re all going into hybrid jobs.”

Aside from that, the work-from-home trend has altered the biggest cities in the country. Still, data from security firm Kastle Systems revealed that office occupancy in urban office buildings hit 50 percent in the 10 largest metropolises in January 2023 – the first time it happened since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, physical office occupancy in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago reached 47 percent, 49 percent, 49 percent, and 51 percent respectively. On the other hand, the top cities for remote work were Seattle, San Jose, Austin, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.