COVID-19 influenced lasting hybrid work trends in Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in how people work in Europe. Initially, there was a sharp increase in remote work, with 23% of the EU workforce working from home at the peak of the pandemic. Before COVID-19, only 14% worked remotely. A report from Eurofound suggests that without the pandemic, remote work would have grown much more slowly. Now, the number of remote and hybrid workers has stabilized. Eurostat's 2023 Labour Force Survey shows that 22.2% of EU adults usually or sometimes work from home, a slight drop from over 24% in 2021. Experts like Oscar Vargas Llave from Eurofound note that remote work has not dramatically declined as many expected. The ability to work from home often depends on the type of job, with fields like IT, finance, and education being more accommodating than agriculture or construction. Consulting firm KPMG also emphasizes that job roles requiring in-person presence, like client-facing positions, are less likely to be remote. Managers are critical in determining the frequency of on-site work, reflecting a wider trend among companies to negotiate hybrid arrangements. Data from LinkedIn indicates a shift back toward in-person collaboration. Hybrid job postings are now more common, while postings for fully remote jobs have dropped. Tamara Basic Vasiljev, LinkedIn's economist, notes that the demand for fully remote roles still outstrips supply, creating a mismatch in the job market. The levels of remote work vary across Europe. The Netherlands has the highest remote work rate, with 52% of workers telecommuting at least part-time. In contrast, some new EU members like Bulgaria and Romania have less than 4% of their workforce working remotely. This is attributed to fewer digital jobs and cultural attitudes toward work. Looking ahead, many believe the hybrid work model will persist. A Eurofound study indicates a growing preference for working from home, despite challenges such as maintaining company culture in a remote setting. By 2030, remote work rates are expected to only slightly increase, as more jobs become digital. However, experts agree that the dramatic shift brought on by the pandemic will have lasting effects on workplace communication and flexibility.