Londoners most likely to work from home as uptake increases, ONS says
Londoners are the most likely to work from home, the Office of National Statistics said this morning, as the proportion of the UK’s workforce opting for remote working swells.
Workers who did any work from home in 2020 increased to 37 per cent on average from 27 per cent in 2019, according to the ONS’s latest figures on attitudes towards the future of work for April to May 2021.
Over the last 15 months, those working from home in the UK have reported a healthier work-life balance but have struggled with the challenges of virtual collaboration.
Of adults currently working from home, 85 per cent wanted to use a “hybrid” or flexible approach of both home and office working in future.
While the workforce is keener on the idea, there remains uncertainty among businesses as 32 per cent have said they are unsure what proportion of the workforce will be sinking back into old routines.
Data from the Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) showed that 24 per cent of businesses that were able to trade, plan to adopt a permanent homeworking model – while 28 per cent were not sure.
Most individuals expect to return to their normal place of work by early autumn, the ONS reported.
Last year, around 4.7 per cent of the UK worked from home according to Statista, while Finland topped the leagues with 25.1 per cent of its population opting for remote working.
Europe has seen a positive uptake overall, but Bulgaria was the least receptive to the new measures were least popular in Bulgaria, with just 1.2 per cent opting for homeworking.
Of the 27 countries within the European Union, 12.3 per cent of those worked from home.