Remote Work Statistics By Country, Occupation, New Job Opportunities and Age Group

Remote Work Statistics By Country, Occupation, New Job Opportunities and Age Group

Introduction

Remote Work Statistics: The way we work has changed significantly in recent years. The traditional notion of spending eight hours a day, five days a week, in an office cubicle is no longer the only choice for many people. Remote work, where employees carry out their duties outside of a traditional office, has become increasingly popular. This Remote Work Statistics provides valuable analysis and current trends to help you navigate this evolving landscape.

Let’s examine some statistics to gain a better understanding of the current state of remote work.

Editor’s Choice

  • Globally, in March 2024, the total number of full-time workers was 61%, followed by 26% hybrid workers and 12% full-time remote workers.
  • As of May 2024, in the United States of America, 40% of job seekers are still interested in working remotely, 33% prefer hybrid working, and 18% of people are searching for in-office jobs.
  • Remote work enables flexible work models, which have positively enhanced the organization’s / company’s productivity, claimed by 60% of executives in the fourth quarter of 2023.
  • In 2024, the top retention strategies of many global employers are based on work flexibility.
  • On April 3, 2024, the average weekly office occupancy in the U.S. grew up to 48%.
  • In March 2024, around 29% of professional and business services employees were working from home, followed by finance and insurance (23%) and the information sectors (21%).
  • An average of 28% of paid workdays are spent working remotely, compared to 7% in 2019.
  • In the first half of 2024, approximately 32% of job-seeker respondents planning or looking for a new job claimed that flexible working arrangements or working from home were the main criteria.
  • In March 2024, American workers preferred to work remotely around 2.4 days a week.
  • By the end of 2023, 62% of worldwide employees made up to 15% of their pay cut for working fully remotely and for a flexible working location on average.

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General Remote Work Statistics

  • Across the world, 16% of companies offer remote work facilities, and 63% offer hybrid work opportunities.
  • By 2030, the demand for work from employees will increase by 30%, and globally, 98% are expected to work remotely.
  • As of 2024, full-time employees who worked from home made up 12.7%.
  • In America, 22 million employees aged 18 years or older work remotely, which is 14% of adults.
  • By the end of 2025, five out of one U.S. employees will be working remotely.
  • In 2023, remote employees of the U.S., those who worked at least 70% of their time from work from home, claimed that their managers and supervisors had trusted them to get their job done.
  • Trust is one of the most important factors for remote workers. 79% of remote and 64% of hybrid employees said their manager trusted them.

(Reference: payscale.com)

  • In 2023, almost 28% of employees have worked remotely across the world.
  • Meanwhile, the average annual salary of each remote employee was $78,200.
  • Remote Work Statistics revealed that flexibility boosts happiness, as said by 77% of professionals, and now employees are working many extra hours.
  • Even 46% of employees have stated that remote work has increased job satisfaction levels.

(Reference: techopedia.com)

  • Employees who work remotely or hybrid always remain under the eyes of their companies’ managers.
  • Remote Work Statistics show that 79% of employees were more productive when they worked remotely or hybrid.
  • It has been observed that 11% of employees’ productivity remained the same both on-site and remotely.
  • Meanwhile, 10% of employees’ productivity decreased after they started working from home.
  • Remote work Statistics further state that 58% of white-collar employees work at least three days remotely every week.
  • However, there is no remote work day available for 16% of white-collar employees.
  • In the U.S., 26% of employees work from home, followed by mostly from home (8%) and hybrid workplaces (4%).
  • However, more than 51% of workers are entirely on-site, 85 (mostly on-site), and there is no opinion (2%).

Importance of Remote Work by H.R. Leaders

remotework23-landing-page-chart-pie-charts

(Source: payscale.com)

  • 89% of H.R. leaders believed that ‘carrots’ work better than ‘sticks’ to motivate employees to return to their offices.
  • For attracting talent, 91% of H.R. believed that workplace flexibility is an effective benefit for employees.
  • In returning remote workers to offices globally, 62% of H.R. has experienced resistance from employees.
  • Regarding employee’s work-from-home preferences, 43% of H.R. never surveyed.

Benefits of Remote Work

(Source: techopedia.com)

  • In 2023, a report generated by Technopedia stated that working flexibility in time spending was the top benefit cited by 22% of remote employees.
  • The second and third benefits are the flexibility to live anywhere and work (19%) and the flexibility of working location (13%).
  • Additionally, other remote working benefits for global employees included more time because they do not need to communicate with others (12%), financial effectiveness (11%), better focus (8%), better work results in their workplace (7%), flexibility in career option (4%), felt safer (3%), and others (1%).
  • The top benefits for American remote workers in 2024 are better work-life balance (59%), saving time on commuting to work (55%), more comfortable working space (54%), Reduced spending on travel and eating out (43%), reduced stress or burnt-out (40%), improved sleep (36%), less distraction (31%), reduced depression and anxiety (31%), less office politics (30%), Freedom to travel (29%), chances of more exercise (24%), increased motivation and work morale (22%), improved physical health (21%), less bias at work (14%), and productive work to get recognized (9%).

Disadvantages of Remote Work

  • Remote Work Statistics further mentioned that the biggest struggles of worldwide remote working are staying home for long hours (21%), loneliness (15%), and working across time zones (14%).
  • Other disadvantages of working from home include not being able to unplug (11%), staying motivated (11%), working more (9%), difficulty focusing (9%), difficulties with collaboration and communication (8%), and others (2%).
  • Due to remote and hybrid work processes in the 4th quarter of 2023, 71% of middle market firms have reduced collaboration.
  • Besides, other challenges by shares of firms followed: management challenges (70%), maintaining culture (62%), feeling isolated (61%), onboarding challenges (57%), work tension (57%), reduced productivity (56%), impeded training (53%), and mental health issues (47%).

Remote Work Per Day Statistics By Region and Country

(Source: dropbox.com)

  • Remote Work Statistics revealed that, as of March 2023, the global average for the total number of days worked from home was 1.9 per week.
  • In the Americas, Employees in Canada worked almost 2.8 days remotely each week, followed by the United States (2.1 days) and Brazil (2 days).
  • In the European region, the number of working days from home per week by country is as follows: United Kingdom (2.4), Netherlands (2.2), Turkey (2), Sweden (2), Hungary (2), Italy (1.8), Germany (1.8), Spain (1.7), Austria (1.6), France (1.6), Greece (1.6), Poland (1.5), and Serbia (1).
  • Similarly, the number of remote working days per week in the Asian region is as follows: Singapore (2.8), Malaysia (2.5), Australia (2.4), Japan (1.5), China (1.4), Taiwan (1.1), and Korea (0.8).

the-ideal-number-of-days-spent-in-the-office-per-week

(Reference: usatoday.com)

  • As represented in Remote Work Statistics 2024, only 17% of in-office U.S. employees worked 5 days in a week.
  • In addition, 36% of American employees are willing to work from home in 2024 and beyond.
  • 9% of employees worked 4 days in-office and 1 day remotely, while other includes 15% of employees: in-office (3)  &  remotely (2).
  • 14% of employees: in-office (2) &  remotely (3).
  • 9% of employees: in-office (1) &  remotely (4).

United States Remote Work Statistics

(Source: usatoday.com)

  • The above image describes the highest share of remote workers by American states in 2024: Colorado (21.2%), Washington (20.5%), Arizona (19.2%), and Oregon (19%).
  • Besides, Mississippi (5.5%), North Dakota (8.2%), Louisiana (8.2%), and Arkansas (8.8%) have the lowest proportion of remote workers in the USA.
  • In accordance with Remote Work Statistics 2024, other states’ share of remote workers is Utah (18%), California (17.2%), Minnesota (17.2%), Idaho (13.1%), Nevada (12.2%), Montana (12.6%), Wyoming (9.1%), New Mexico (12%), Texas (14.5%), Oklahoma (9.4%), Kansas (12.1%), Nebraska (10.8%), South Dakota (9.9%), North Dakota (7.6%), Lowa (115), Missouri (12.9%), Tennessee (13.3%), Illinois (15.8%), Wisconsin (13%), Michigan (13.7%), Kentucky (10.5%), Indiana (10.5%), Michigan (13.7%), Ohio (13%), Alabama (8.9%), Florida (16.4%), Georgia (16.3%), South Carolina (11.4%), North Carolina (16.8%), Virginia (18.2%), Maryland (19.2%), Delaware (15.5%), New Jersey (16.7%), Pennsylvania (15.2%), New York (14.5%), Connecticut (15.9%), Rhode Island (13.4%), Massachusetts (18.4%), Vermont (16.5%), New Hampshire (17.3%), Maine (15.7%), Alaska (9.5%), and Hawaii (9.5%).

By Occupation

-fully-or-mostly-remote

(Reference: payscale.com)

  • Based on Remote Work Statistics in 2023, the top three remote working occupations followed by employees share are Computer and Math (58%), Business and Finance (45%), and Art and Design (44%).
  • Furthermore, other remote working occupations with the percentage of workers were life sciences (31%), legal (30%), managers (30%), administrative support (27%), sales (22%), engineering (20%), social services (16%), education (16%), protective service (11%), personal care (11%), healthcare support (11%), transportation (10%), construction (10%), building maintenance (9%), healthcare practitioners (9%), production (9%), food services (8%), and installation and repair (7%).

Worker’s Share By Profession is Detailed Below:

ProfessionRemote employeeHybrid employeeOn-site employee
Healthcare5%5%90%
Human Resources9%18%73%
Marketing & Сreative13%25%63%
Finance & Accounting10%25%65%
Legal5%21%75%
Technology17%22%61%
Administrative & Customer Support10%12%78%

By Industry

(Reference: payscale.com)

  • In addition, the top five global industries with the highest percentage of fully or mostly remote workers are technology (68%), agencies and consultancies (51%), finance and insurance (49%), engineering and science (41%), and energy and utilities (27%).
  • Moreover, the other share of remote employees by industry was followed by nonprofits (26%), real estate (23%), education (23%), transportation (21%), manufacturing (19%), retail (17%), arts & entertainment (16%), construction (13%), healthcare (12%), and food & accommodation (11%).

The U.S. Remote Workers share by industries in 2024 is detailed in the table below:

IndustriesRemote Worker Share
Facilities/operations / I.T. departments18%
Customer service/Support departments15%
Sales departments14%
Administrative departments13%
Healthcare Services15%
Technology / Internet10%
Financial services9%
Education8%
Manufacturing7%
Executive/company leadership departments7%
Professional Services6%
Retail6%
Construction / Engineering5%
Government5%
Computing / Electronics4%
Insurance3%

Worker Salary Statistics By Occupation

(Reference: payscale.com)

  • Remote Work Statistics also show that the average annual salary earned by fully or mostly remote managers in 2023 was $97,000, while other occupations’ average salaries were computer & math ($95,000), engineering ($86,200), legal ($77,700), business & finance ($74,000), life science ($69,500), art & design ($68,900), education ($65,400), sales ($64,100), healthcare practitioners ($64,100), social services ($54,800), administrative support ($52,900), transportation ($52,400), production ($52,000), installation & repair ($51,700), construction ($50,600), protective service ($47,700), personal care ($39,800), building maintenance ($39,800), healthcare support ($37,700), and food services ($31,900).

By Industry

(Reference: payscale.com)

  • The top three median salaries of an average employee in the technology sector were $94,500, in engineering & science department ($92,100), and energy and utilities sector ($88,300).
  • In addition, other industries median pay of remote workers were manufacturing ($84,900), finance $ insurance ($79,900), agencies & consultancies ($74,700), transportation ($73,900), real estate ($71,300), retail ($67,700), education ($66,500), construction ($66,500), art & entertainment ($63,200), nonprofits (462,800), healthcare ($57,100), and food & accommodation ($50,400)

Payment Methodologies Before and After the Pandemic

landing-page-chart-comparison

(Source: payscale.com)

  • Remote Work Statistics also mentioned that 37% and 30% of organizations, respectively, paid their employees based on the market, not the employee’s location, before and after the pandemic.
  • Before and after the pandemic, 16% and 19% of organizations paid employees based on their location using geo-differentials.
  • Depending on the national median, before the pandemic, 15% of worldwide companies paid their employees, and now it is done by 18% of companies.
  • As per employee location using market pricing, 15% of organizations paid their employees before and after the pandemic.
  • 12% of organizations’ payment methodologies were mixed by location and type of job before the pandemic, and 14% of organizations’ payment methodologies were mixed after the pandemic.
  • Salaries of remote employees were based on pay Zone as claimed by 5% of companies both before and after companies.

Working Arrangement Statistics

Current-and-Preferred-Work-Arrangements-ERS-2023

(Source: cupahr.org)

  • Remote Work Statistics further elaborated that in 2023, around 68.3% of respondents claimed that most of their duties can now be performed remotely.
  • In 2023, 65.5% of global employees were completely or mostly worked on-site, 23.7% of employees have worked hybrid on-site or remote, and 10.8% were remote employees.
  • By 2024, the preferred work arrangements are expected to be 28.3% (fully remote), 40.5% (hybrid, i.e., on-site/remote), and 31.2% (on-site).

 By Age Group

share-of-employees-who-prefer-to-work-from-home-in-the-united-states-in-2023-by-age-group

(Reference: statista.com)

  • In the United States of America, 41% of employees who worked remotely in 2023 were aged 26 to 41, making up the largest share of employees.
  • The second and third largest share of remote employees by age group were 40% (42 to 57 years) and 38% (58 to 76 years), respectively.
  • Only 27% of American remote employees in 2023 belong to the age of 18 to 25 years.

By Gender

 Remote-Work-By-Demographics

(Source: demandsage.com)

  • In 2023, nearly 46.5% of remote work employees were women, and 39% were men.
  • Whereas Remote Work Statistics further state that work preferences vary between women (in-office work: 19.2% and hybrid work: 34.3%) and men (in-office work: 24% and hybrid work: 37%).

By Education Level

work-location-by-education-level

(Reference: usatoday.com)

  • As of 2024, 36% of fully remote, 27% of remote/in-office hybrid, and 37% of fully in-office employees in the United States of America have a high school degree or equivalent.
  • 31% of fully remote, 35% of hybrid, and 34% of in-office employees have an Associate’s degree.
  • Moreover, other educational degrees by workers’ shares are Bachelor’s degrees: fully remote (34%), hybrid (41%), and fully in-office (26%).
  • Master’s degree: fully remote (27%), hybrid (29%), and fully in-office (44%).
  • Doctoral degree: fully remote (30%), hybrid (52%), and fully in-office (17%).

By Earning

  • Remote Work Statistic 2024 further elaborates that 42% of fully remote employees earn less than $50,000 annually.
  • On the other hand, other shares of remote employees by annual salary are 33% ($50,000 to $75,000), 28% ($75,000 to $100,000), 24% ($100,000 to $125,000), 18% ($125,000 to $150,000), 18% ($150,000 to $200,000), and 26% (more than $200,000).
  • In contrast, the yearly earnings of other employees in 2024 were 31% fully in-office and 27% hybrid (less than $50K).
  • Annual earnings by other employees are followed by 35% in-office and 27% remote ($50K to $75K), 28% in-site, and 44% hybrid ($75K to $100K), 36% in-site and 40% hybrid ($100K to $125K), 43% in-site and 39% hybrid ($125K to $150K), 39% in-site and 42% hybrid ($150K to $200K), and 41% in-site and 325 hybrid (more than $200,000).

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By New Job Opportunities

remote-workers-are-less-likely-to-seek-a-new-job

(Reference: payscale.com)

  • A report published in 2023 by Payscale states that 100% of fully remote employees never thought about a new job.
  • Based on remote work statistics, most remote employees are 8% less likely to seek a new job than fully remote employees.
  • Almost 14% of non-remote employees are more likely to seek a new job than those who work from home all the time.
  • In contrast, employees who work from home are always 13% less likely to leave their jobs than on-site workers.
  • Remote as-needed employees are 32% less likely than on-site employees to seek a new job opportunity.

Remote Work Tools Statistics

business-spending-on-work-from-home-tools

(Reference: buttercms.com)

  • Remote Work Statistics show that 67% of businesses will spend money on web conferencing software for managing remote employees in 2024.
  • Furthermore, other works from tools used by share of businesses are followed by collaboration tools (57%), remote desktop tools (52%), security software (41%), learning management software (23%), time tracking tools (14%), telemedicine (11%), and others (11%).

By Pay Cut

  • In 2023, 65% of American remote workers would likely give up a 5% pay cut just to stay and work from home.
  • Meanwhile, in the United States, 38% of employed would pay 10% of their annual salary to work remotely.
  • In contrast, other American workers who give up pay cuts for working from home are followed by 24% (15% pay cut), 18% (20% pay cut), and 15% (25% pay cut).

Employers Monitoring Worker Statistics

  • Based on Remote Work Statistics, 58% of work-from-home employees have claimed that monitoring systems are blocking certain contents and that the app is fine but intrusive.
  • Almost 21% of employees agreed with the tracking activities of employers, but sometimes it makes them uncomfortable.
  • Only 5% of remote workers agree with the practice of employers monitoring systems.
  • Furthermore, 11% of remote workers disagree with the practice, and 5% are still unsure about it.

Remote Work Job Listing Statistics

Percentage-Of-Remote-Job-Listings

(Source: demandsage.com)

  • On LinkedIn, 41.2% of remote jobs are available in the technology, information, and media industries.
  • The second and third top industries by share of remote jobs are Education (29%) and Administrative and support services (27.4%).
  • 5% and 20.2% of remote jobs were available on LinkedIn in professional services and financial services, respectively.

Remote Employees Experience Statistics

  • In 2023, approximately 68% of work-from-home employees experienced positive results, and 23% claimed somewhat positive benefits.
  • The share of experience of remote work employees is 8% (felt neutral), 1% (felt somewhat negative), and 0% (very negative).

Remote Hiring Statistics

  • In a survey published by Intuition, 65% of employees in recent years wanted to become full-time remote workers.
  • As mentioned in Remote Work Statistics by Owl Labs, remote employees never wanted to return to the office after the pandemic.
  • The American companies that provide remote work facilities are experiencing 25% lower employee turnover.
  • The U.S. organizations that enable remote work are more likely to be chosen by 71% of employees.
  • In recent years, a hybrid remote work environment has always been preferred by 31% of remote workers.
  • In 2024, hiring full-time remote employees is 2 times more likely in small companies than in large companies.
  • Around 64% of organizations’ recruiters want to find high-quality talent only by enabling remote work facilities.
  • Flexible working schedules help 80% of companies’ employees stay loyal, and their employees are less likely to leave their jobs.

Top Reasons Driving Remote Workplaces

  • According to Remote Work Statistics 2024, the top three reasons for driving remote workplaces are broadening the talent pool (41%), differentiating benefits for attracting and retaining talent (29%), and increasing productivity (9%).
  • Furthermore, other reasons shared for driving remote workplaces are reduced costs from office equipment or real estate (9%), improving mental health (7%), diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (2%), environmental benefits (2%), lower salaries (2%), and 24/7 availability of workers (1%).

The Boom of Remote Work

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly acted as a catalyst for remote work. With lockdowns and social distancing measures in place, many businesses were forced to adapt and allow employees to work from home. This large-scale experiment proved successful for many organizations, with studies showing that productivity did not suffer and, in some cases, even improved.

Even as pandemic restrictions eased, the remote work trend continued. As of March 2024, a significant portion of the workforce enjoys some level of remote work flexibility:

  • 58% of employed Americans report having the option to work from home at least part of the week. This translates to roughly 92 million people across various industries and job types.
  • 35% of workers say they can work from home full-time, and another 23% can do so part-time.

The Hybrid Model Takes Center Stage

While some companies have embraced fully remote work, a hybrid model seems to be the sweet spot for many. This approach combines working from home with designated days spent in the office. Here’s a breakdown of the work arrangement preferences:

  • 26% of full-time employees work in a hybrid model.
  • 36% of job seekers prefer hybrid roles, with 29% favoring fully remote positions.

This preference for flexibility makes sense. Remote work offers several benefits, including:

  • Improved work-life balance: 51% of employees believe remote work helps them achieve this balance. This can be due to factors like skipping the commute and having more control over their schedules.
  • Increased productivity: Studies have shown that remote workers can be just as productive, or even more productive, than their in-office counterparts. This can be attributed to fewer distractions and the ability to work during their most focused hours.
  • Cost savings: Employees save money on commuting expenses like gas and public transportation. Companies can also save on office space overhead.
  • Wider talent pool: Companies aren’t limited by geographical location when hiring remote workers, allowing them to tap into a broader pool of qualified candidates.

Who Works Remotely?

The opportunity to work remotely isn’t evenly distributed across all professions. Here’s a glimpse into which industries and demographics are more likely to embrace remote work:

  • Industries: Jobs in professional & business services (29%), finance & insurance (23%), and information sectors (21%) have a higher prevalence of remote work.
  • Generations: Millennials (36.5%) make up the largest age group of remote workers, followed by Gen X (29.8%). Interestingly, only 11% of Gen Z work remotely full-time, but a significant portion (73%) prefer a hybrid model. This might be due to their desire for social interaction and mentorship opportunities.
  • Gender: There’s a slight gender gap, with more men working remotely full-time (38%) compared to women (30%).

The Impact on Businesses

The shift towards remote work presents both opportunities and challenges for businesses. Here’s a closer look:

  • Companies can attract top talent from a wider pool, save on office space costs, and potentially see increased employee productivity.
  • Managing and motivating remote teams requires a different approach. Ensuring smooth communication, collaboration, and a sense of belonging can be more complex in a remote setting. Additionally, companies may need to invest in technology infrastructure and training to support a remote workforce.

Challenges and Considerations

While remote work offers numerous advantages, it’s not without its challenges. Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Maintaining focus and avoiding distractions: Working from a home environment can introduce distractions like household chores or family members. Setting clear boundaries and creating a dedicated workspace can help.
  • Communication and collaboration: Remote teams need to make extra efforts to stay connected and collaborate effectively. Utilizing video conferencing tools and project management software can be crucial.
  • Social isolation: Lack of face-to-face interaction with colleagues can lead to feelings of isolation. Scheduling regular virtual meetings and fostering a sense of community online can help.

The Future of Remote Work

The statistics paint a clear picture: remote work is here to stay. As technology continues to advance and companies adapt to the changing needs of the workforce, we can expect even more flexibility in work arrangements. The hybrid model seems likely to remain popular, offering employees the best of both worlds: the focus and productivity of home-based work alongside the collaboration and social interaction of the office environment.

Conclusion

Remote work is no longer a temporary trend; it’s a fundamental shift in the way we work. As technology evolves and employee expectations change, companies that embrace flexibility will be better positioned to attract and retain talent. Understanding the statistics, trends, and challenges associated with remote work will be crucial for businesses to navigate this new landscape and build successful remote work models.

FAQ.

What is required as a remote worker?

A laptop or computer along with a stable internet connection so that employees can stay connected with their colleagues and managers.

How do you handle remote employees?

There are many ways, such as setting clear expectations, acknowledging uncertainty, checking in more often with employees and managers to ensure that every employee is on the same system working properly, effective communication, watching for new stressors in remote team members, and along with seeking feedback and ideas.

Which skill is best for remote jobs?

The top skills are data entry and processing, multimedia production, digital literacy, online communication tools, technical proficiency, project management, and cybersecurity basics.

Which is the best career for remote work?

The best careers are Content Writer/Editor, Digital Marketing Specialist, Software Developer, Market Research Analyst, Information Security Analyst, Web Developer, Graphic Designer, and Virtual Assistant.

Ketaki Joshi
Ketaki Joshi

Ketaki Joshi is a professional medical writer with extensive experience in scientific research on illness, health, and healthcare. Her work includes creating feature articles for newsletters and websites, as well as research news stories for doctors and researchers. With a lifelong passion for reading, Ketaki transitioned from a career at a French multinational company to pursue writing professionally. Her dedication to the craft has culminated in the recent release of her first Amazon-published short story, "The Envelope That Changed Our Lives."

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