16+ Remote Work Statistics Everyone Should Know in 2023

The moment the relentless Coronavirus pandemic caught the entire planet by storm, the future of workplaces became one of the most talked-about global topics. With many businesses closing and people losing jobs, one might wonder what future workplaces will look like. What if we told you that your home could be one?

Remote work statistics show that, contrary to popular belief, telecommuters both earn more and are more productive than on-site workers. Sounds tempting?

There’s more!

The Catchiest Remote Work Statistics of 2022 (Editor's Choice):

Before we head into a deeper analysis of all working from home stats, let us first mention some of the most fascinating ones. If you still haven’t heard of the impact that remote work has made in recent times, prepare to be stunned.

• There are 5 million people who work remotely in the US.
• Even pre-Covid, there was a 173% increase in the number of telecommuters since 2005.
• 16% of all companies are remote work companies.
• 55% of all businesses partially allow remote work.
• 77% of employees claim to be more productive when working remotely.
• Over 60% of the employees in the US aged 22 to 65 at least partially work from home as of 2019.
• By letting its employees work from home 50% of the time, a regular organization could yearly save $11,000.
• In the UK, 68% of all businesses offer flexible workspace policies.
• 98% of employees would like to have the option to work remotely.

Remote Work Statistics for 2022

These statistics don’t just matter right now, they are bound to be of big importance in the year(s) to follow as well. Here are some numbers to get your thinking gears running.

1. Are remote workers paid less? Not at all.

(Source: Miro)

One of the biggest myths about remote work is that an average remote worker earns less money than an average on-site worker. This couldn’t be further from the truth, though, as FlexJobs reports that, on a yearly basis, a telecommuter’s salary is bigger by $4,000. This is not to mention that people working from home also save a lot of money, almost another $4,000 per year. Global Workplace Analytics went even a step further and claimed that the latter number goes around $7,000.

2. As of 2018, remote work has grown 173%.

(Source: Global Workplace Analytics)

According to an analysis of 2018 American Community Service data, remote work has grown by 173% since 2005. What’s more, that’s just concerning ‘regular’ work from home, before the pandemic struck. Back then, this number used to go up a few percent each year with great consistency but should do so in even bigger increments now. Here’s another indicator of this being the case.

3. Over 60% of the employees in the US aged 22 to 65 at least partially work from home.

(Source: Owl Labs)

According to Owl Labs’ remote work statistics from 2019, 62% of middle-aged US employees said that they work remotely at some frequency. Not all of them work remotely full-time, but with just 38% of on-site workers in the past year, the future for remote work looks more than bright.

While we are still at the number of people that work remotely…

4. How many people work from home in 2021 in the US? The numbers for Q1 2020 say 5 million.

(Source: Global Workplace Analytics)

The aforementioned analysis conducted by Global Workplace Analytics suggests that there are at least 5 million virtual workers of America. In other words, a whopping 3.6% of the country’s employees spend at least half of each week working remotely!

5. In the UK, 68% of all businesses offer flexible workspace policies

(Source: MerchantSavvy)

According to a MerchantSavvy chart, around 68% of UK businesses offer flexible workspace policies, while 73% of UK residents think that flexible work is the future and should become entirely normal. This is a huge indicator of a rising global remote work adoption rate statistic, as the US isn’t the only country popularizing it.

As that wasn’t amazing enough, these are Q1 2020 numbers, meaning that the chart was formed before the start of the pandemic, which further cements the fact that remote work really is about to become the new normal.

6. 98% of employees would like to have the option to work remotely

(Source: Buffer)

Buffer’s 2020 State of Remote Report chart shows us that nearly all of its respondents would appreciate the possibility of remote employment at least every once in a while. The 98% of people would mark a decrease of a mere one percent from 2019.

On the other side, the percentage of respondents that would recommend remote work to others has risen from 95% to 97%. If you thought that the challenges of remote work are too much for some, think again. The work from home job statistics still claim otherwise.

Overall, employees believe that the best companies to work for remotely are exactly these “hybrid” ones, as they offer both on-site and remote work.

Statistics for the Future of Work from Home

If you are one of many work from home employees, you are in luck, as it is doing great. Sure, the pandemic does enforce remote work above all right now, but it may also consequently encourage it in the subsequent period. Here are some remote work stats as signs that this is happening right now.

7. 55% of all businesses partially allow remote work.

(Source: Softline)

With the current state of the world, the ever-increasing number of people working at home does not really come as a surprise. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of stopping, one can expect this percentage to go even further up. It is giving good results, though, so there should be no reason for this to change after the pandemic.

8. An organization could yearly save $11,000 per employee by letting its staff work from home 50% of the time.

(Source: Global Workplace Analytics)

Apparently, it turns out that increased remote worker productivity isn’t the only thing that saves company money. Naturally, a lower amount of sick days is a correlated factor that first comes to mind, but not having to cover office space costs is not to be underestimated. This also helps employers face disasters with greater ease.

9. Employees could save $2,500 to $4,000 yearly through remote work from home 50% of the time.

(Source: Global Workplace Analytics)

Not only could they save time by not commuting daily, but employees would also save some serious money this way, too. Overwhelming gas and parking costs could become a thing of the past, which especially matters for people driving to another town on a daily basis. The list doesn’t end there, though, as some slightly smaller costs, such as food expenses, also decrease.

10. 16% of all companies are fully remote work companies.

(Source: Owl Labs)

Of all of the companies in the world, those that rely on both on-site and remote work seem to be all the craze, but fully remote ones aren’t doing too bad, either. According to Owl Labs, 16% of global companies are fully remote, and so they exclusively hire remote workers. It should come as no surprise - there are plenty of businesses like virtual assistant companies that have no real need for centralized offices.

Meanwhile, a stunning 44% of them don’t even allow working from home. This number ought to fall, however, which the following work from home jobs statistics regarding productivity should prove just fine.

Working from Home Productivity Statistics

One of the biggest worries for not just employers, but also employees, is that of reduced employee productivity. Fear not, however, as not all is as black and white as it seems. Take a look at the colorful picture painted by the following remote work stats.

11. 77% of employees claim to be more productive when working remotely.

(Source: CoSo Cloud)

The lifelong debate on whether employees are more productive during remote work should not even matter that much now, but these telecommuting facts are likely to further help end it.

According to a CoSo Cloud survey, out of 39% of people who have reported to be working remotely at least occasionally, 77% of those believe they are more productive. Like that was not enough, 30% of remote workers claim that they accomplish more work before the workday ends. By the time the day ends, an additional 24% get more work done as well. It seems like most people actually blossom in their own homes due to a lack of interruptions and stress. Speaking of stress…

12. 53% of remote workers believe their stress levels are lower.

(Source: CoSo Cloud)

According to the same CoSo Cloud survey, more than half of telecommuters have reported lower stress levels. Some of the biggest reasons include not having to commute, having a fully customizable workspace, and not having to think about office politics. Despite the stress related to work itself, people working remotely from home usually maintain a higher job satisfaction level, in part thanks to being able to spend more time with their loved ones.

13. 42% of people working from home feel equally connected with their colleagues compared to office work.

(Source: CoSo Cloud)

Even remote work isolation statistics aren’t as troublesome as they may seem. Sure, the idea of remote work can be quite offsetting for conversation starters, but instant messaging is here to bridge the gap.

42% of remote workers feel as connected remotely as in the office with their colleagues, while 10% of them feel even more connected. It is easier for introverts to satisfy their communication needs, yet extroverts can still communicate freely, but without making any noise in the process.

Sounds like a win-win situation!

Remote Working Downsides in 2022

Of course, like most things, there are always downsides. The following stats are about some of the troubles those working remotely may face.

14. Only 23% of people who use coworking spaces have the costs covered by their employers.

(Source: findstack)

Coworking spaces have risen as an alternative to traditional office spaces. They provide all the amenities of an office, but are rented as the user needs it day to day or hour to hour. Many remote workers make use of the either for a quiet place to work, or because they need what they provide.

Yet only about a quarter of remote workers are compensated for using a coworking space. If money is tight they'll have to try work at home, or if that isn't possible, make use of coffee shops.

15. 54% of InfoSec professionals believe remote workers are a bigger threat than in-office workers.

(Source: findstack)

When working in-office, it's easy to control access. Only those who are supposed to be in the office are there, and guests are noted. This is not the case with remote workers. An inattentive remote worker could leave their computer unattended in an unsecured setting while logged into a secure system.

This could give threat actors access to a companies internal system, or allow them a moment to install something. Luckily most remote workers do get a lot of training...

16. 87% of the remote working force receives training.

(Source: findstack)

87% of remote workers receive training, with 70% being trained directly by their company. This makes sense seeing as it would regularly be the case with in-house workers.

Still, that 13% that isn't getting training is a concern. It means that those workers aren't working as efficiently as they could be, and what's more is that they aren't increasing their skills to better their portfolios.

Remote Work Trends 2022

If, by any chance, you don’t believe in remote work surviving, check these out. The following working from home statistics outline trends for a work system that simply functions well.

17. In 2021, the number of remote workers will likely double.

(Source: World Economic Forum)

A survey that Enterprise Technology Research has conducted with more than one thousand chief information officers suggests that 34.4% of remote staff will exclusively work remotely by 2021. That’s more than double the number of pre-pandemic remote workers, which at that time made for about 16.4% of the workforce of the companies these CIOs work for.

18. Tech budgets will increase by 2.1% in 2021.

(Source: World Economic Forum)

The same survey indicates that tech budgets are bound to increase in 2021 by 2.1%, which is a major leap from 2020 4.1% decline due to a global lockdown. CIOs believe that this is possible thanks to the aforementioned surge of productivity that work from home trends are responsible for. Heck, you might see more companies invest in things like remote desktop software that make remote work even easier.

19. Most companies are planning on keeping part of the workforce remote post-pandemic.

(Source: Gartner)

As both employers and workers realize the numerous benefits of remote work, more and more people want to work this way, and companies want to help them. Not only will we be seeing flexible work policies more commonly, but more people will also be encouraged to permanently work remotely. Gartner’s CFO remote work survey statistics reveal that out of 74% of companies that plan to achieve this, 27% of those will keep 5% of their workforce remote, while an amazing 25% should keep 10% of it.

Wrap Up

Phew, that was one bumpy, but fun ride! There are even more remote work statistics, but we can only cover so much. Still, we hope that we have managed to answer whatever telecommuting question you were having and debunked the enduring myth about it being a bad thing.

The key takeaway is that even though it is fairly forced by the ongoing pandemic, remote work will likely expand at this point. Even when the coronavirus fright ends, many people will keep working remotely until the end of their career, but only time can tell us exactly how far this trend will go.

Working from home statistics also reveal that even the biggest cons, such as feeling isolated and out of touch with other employees, are not as big as they seem at first glance. If you’re scared of that dreaded feeling, just remember that there are always phones and instant messaging apps.

Hopefully, we at HostingTribunal have helped you decide to go remote – you won’t regret it!