Insights for Executives

Must Know Statistics About Remote Work in 2021

Cedric Jackson

August 10, 2021

You know that remote work is popular, but just how popular is it?

Do remote workers earn more?

Is remote work here to stay?

To help answer these questions and more, we’ve gathered some of the most interesting statistics about remote work. 

People and Companies Like Remote Work

Consider the following figures about how popular the idea of remote work is: 

  • After the pandemic, 80% of company leaders will let employees at least sometimes work remotely. 
  • 47% will let employees work full-time from home. 
  • 78% of CEOs think remote collaboration will stay. 
  • 65% of employees want full-time remote work after the pandemic. 31% want to combine remote and in-person work for a hybrid approach. (This is the same survey, so 96% of respondents want at least some remote work.)
  • Data from Forbes shows 61% want a fully remote approach and 97% want at least some remote work. 
  • 18% of employees work from home full-time. 
  • 81% of workers say they would have more company loyalty if they could work remotely and be more flexible. 
  • 78% of those with college degrees want flexibility in their time. 
  • 27% of workers would be willing to reduce their salaries to be able to work remotely. 
  • 74% of professionals think remote work will become normal. 
  • 76% of entrepreneurs think remote work will become normal. 
  • 3.2% of the American workforce works remotely, at least sometimes. 
  • Experts predict 22% of the American workforce will work remotely in 2025. 
  • By 2028, remote workers will be in 73% of all work departments. 

Who Hires Remote Workers

  • Small companies have twice the chance of hiring remote workers. 
  • Companies with remote work drop employee turnover by 25%. 

Remote Workers Earn More Than On-Site Workers

  • Remote workers with the same qualifications and job earn 8.3% more. 
  • Remote workers earn 7.5% more, not accounting for location, job title, or experience. 
  • Remote workers are twice as likely to earn more than $100,000. 
  • 26% of remote workers earn more than $100,000 (compared to 8% of on-site workers). 
  • Remote workers save about $4,000 a year. 

Remote Work and Employee Benefits

  • 69% of remote workers want health care benefits. 
  • 63% want professional development. 
  • 59% want coaching. 
  • 21% of employees would cancel some vacation time in exchange for flexible work. 
  • 69% of millennial employees would sacrifice other benefits for flexible work. 
  • 75% of remote employees have to pay for their own home internet. 

Remote Work Cuts Distractions

  • Workplace distractions cost businesses $600 billion annually. 
  • 75% of remote workers chose to do so to reduce distractions. 

Remote Work Boosts Productivity

  • 94% of employers reported productivity stayed the same or increased when people started working remotely during the pandemic. (It rose for 27% and stayed the same for 67%). 
  • 95% of remote workers report the same or higher productivity. 
  • 51% of remote workers report increased productivity. 
  • 75% of remote workers have maintained or increased productivity for individual tasks. 
  • 51% of remote workers have maintained or increased productivity for collaborative tasks. 
  • Working parents have increased productivity with remote work. (49% for mothers and 50% for fathers). 

Remote Work Boosts Employee Satisfaction

  • In 2020, the Workforce Happiness Index for remote workers was 75/100. It was 71/100 for in-person employees. 
  • 57% of remote workers report job satisfaction. Only 50% of in-office workers do. 

Remote Work is Better for Mental Health

  • Employees that cannot work flexibly have double the rate of very poor or poor mental health at a rate. 
  • 24% of those who work remotely once a month or more are more productive and happier. 
  • 48% of people with flexible work report a very good or excellent work-life balance (compared to 36% without). 
  • 54% of people with flexible work report having enough emotional support at work (compared to 45% without). 
  • 86% of respondents feel remote work lowers stress. 

Remote Work and Location

  • In the United States, it is best to work remotely in New Hampshire, Washington, or Delaware. 
  • 27% of remote workers are considering moving if they can work remotely full-time. 
  • Remote work can increase homeownership. 4.5% of renters who cannot afford a home in their market could move and afford a starter home somewhere else. 
  • Remote work has dropped listing prices in San Francisco by 5% and in Manhattan by 4.2%. 

Remote Work and the Planet

  • 3.9 million people working from home 50% of the time or more leads to dramatic greenhouse gas emissions reductions. This is the equivalent of removing 600,000 cars from the road for a year. 

Downsides of Remote Work

  • 22% of remote employees say their biggest challenge is separating work and home. 

What to Learn

The three key takeaways from these stats is that:

  1. People want to work remotely
  2. Remote work is here to stay
  3. Remote work benefits both employers and workers

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