40 Surprising Remote Work Statistics (2023)

In 2023, remote working is the norm for a lot of businesses. Whether it’s full-time remote workers or remote employees who split their time between office space and home in a flexible work setting, getting things done via remote work while creating a better work-life balance benefits everyone.

But, what’s the data really saying on remote work and recruiting remote workers? Well, in this article, you’ll find out as we’ll pull together some of the key remote work statistics. We’ll look at stats for remote working and remote hiring before finishing with some future remote work trends for 2023 and beyond.

Let’s get into it!

Quick Links:

• 15 Remote Work Statistics 📊
• 15 Remote Hiring Statistics 📈
• 10 The Future of Remote Work Predictions 🕵️

Remote Work Statistics – More Than Just a Better Work-Life Balance

Let’s start with the concept of working remotely. Over the past few years, working remotely has become increasingly popular, mainly thanks to the effects of the COVID pandemic. Most employers now offer their in-office employees a flexible working arrangement. But remote work statistics some have gone even further and transitioned all of their full-time workers to become fully remote!

But why have they done this? It’s not just the work-life balance or remote work trends being on the rise. Remote work statistics show that WFH makes remote workers happier, more productive thanks to fewer distractions, and more loyal thanks to increased job satisfaction. Oh, and the reduction in worldwide commuting is good for the planet, with greenhouse gas emissions reducing since 2020.

Right, that’s enough of us talking – here are some remote work stats to back all of this up!

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1 – Flexible Schedule

32% of remote workers say having a flexible schedule is the top benefit of remote work, followed by 25% who love the flexibility to work from different locations. (Buffer)

2 – Higher Productivity

77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when working from home. (CoSo Cloud)

3 – Greener Alternative

Telecommuting reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an amount of 600,000 cars. (FlexJobs)

4 – Higher profit per employee

Companies that allow remote work see an average increase of $2,000 in profit per remote worker. (Stanford)

5 – No loss in productivity

90% of employees say they are at the same productivity level — or an increased productivity level — with flexible work compared to the office. (OwlLabs)

6 – The preferred way of working

33% of employees would quit their job if they could no longer work remotely after the pandemic. (OwlLabs)

7 – Flexibility in choosing the workplace

52% of employees would prefer a hybrid working model, and 11% would prefer a fully remote model after the pandemic. (McKinsey & Company)

8 – The office environment loses its appeal

39% of employers require employees to be in the office full-time post-pandemic, but only 29% actually want to be. (OwlLabs)

9 – Hybrid setup is now essential

Global workplace analytics found that 38% of employers working within remote teams have upgraded their video technology to allow for more hybrid collaboration in their office space. (OwlLabs)

10 – Productivity gains

77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when working from home or have flexible work arrangements. (CoSo Cloud)

11 – Millennials don’t want to commute

69% of millennials would exchange more traditional benefits for a better working environment that does not require commuting to a traditional office. (CBRE)

12 – Managers struggle to adapt

36% of managers are concerned about employee productivity and reduced focus when their team members work remotely for extended periods. (OwlLabs)

13 – Reduced pollution

Xerox, a company with a global workforce, calculated that it saved 92 million miles of driving by allowing its remote workers to avoid commuting. (Gallup)

14 – Better work-life balance

More than three-quarters (78%) of those who worked from home in some capacity said that being able to work from home gave them a better work-life balance in February 2022. (Gov UK)

15 – Higher salaries

Most remote employees get paid more – more than a third (38%) of workers earning £40,000 or more hybrid worked in Q1 2022. (Gov.uk)

Remote Hiring Statistics – How to Hire Remote Workers?

So, if you’re recruiting remote workers, what do you need to keep in mind? A lot of people want to work remotely at least some of the time. As such, they expect this as part of their contract alongside flexible working space when they do come to the office.

Fully remote workers are becoming more and more popular too. Therefore, they expect organizations to support remote work and deliver a matched experience for both them and in-office employees – no half measures!

If you want to appeal to top remote talent and increase employee retention, here are some remote work stats to keep an eye on!

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16 – Work-from-home policy helps to attract better talent

64% of hiring managers say that being able to pitch a work-from-home policy helps them find high-quality talent. (IWG)

If you’re a recruiter looking to hire remote workers, it pays to put your WFH policy front and center on your job postings. This way, remote workers will know you’re serious about working remotely, and they’ll be more likely to apply for your roles!

17 – Remote work is an expected employee benefit

74% of survey respondents expect remote work to become standard as part of their package. (Forbes)

If you’re not already offering some form of remote work or flexible working, you absolutely should be. As working remotely becomes the norm, you don’t want to get left behind vs. your competition.

18 – Jobs without flexible working options are unappealing

Research shows that 83% of workers around the world would turn down a job that didn’t offer flexible working. (IWG)

And this just backs up our previous point – many remote workers expect to work remotely at least some of the time!

19 – Helps increase employee loyalty

79% of respondents would be more loyal to their employer if they had flexible remote opportunities. (FlexJobs)

It’s not just new employees either, your current employees want to work remotely too. Make sure you don’t create a retention problem by failing to offer your current in-office workers the chance of a remote job.

20 – Remote work is exploding in popularity

The number of employees operating in remote positions increased a staggering 87% from the number before the pandemic! (FlexJobs)

The market doesn’t lie! Remote work is rising, with the number of people working remotely soaring since the pandemic.

21 – Companies prepare for the shift to remote

74% of leaders intend to shift at least 5% of their entire workforce to permanently remote positions and remote work. (Gartner)

Organizations are anticipating and acting upon the trend. Global workplace analytics shows companies are moving to a remote worker model to save on costs, boost productivity, and keep their employees happy.

22 – Remote workers can hold high-paying jobs

Remote work survey statistics reveal that 15% of all high-paying job listings in North America during the third quarter of 2021 were remote. (DataProt)

In many cases, remote workers are paid more for their labor. Remote work statistics show this is because they add the same, if not more, value to organizations while still benefitting from flexible work and an outstanding work-life balance.

23 – Young professionals love remote work

The 25–34-year-old age group is the most likely to be working remotely, with more than half (54%) of them working remotely in 2021. (Job Description Library)

This is extremely important if you’re hiring graduates or early career professionals. Know your market, and don’t get left behind offering outdated remote work or flexible work packages.

24 – WFH policy is a benefit

80% said working from home was the most important benefit a job could offer, something that would affect their decision to take or leave a job offer. (Remote)

This one speaks for itself – while pay, perks, and benefits are essential, it’s remote flexibility that really matters for aspiring remote workers.

25 – Remote work market grows

The remote work market is booming, with 56% of respondents saying they worked remotely for less than a year, 21% for less than five years, and 14% for less than ten years. (Home Office Life)

More and more remote workers reported a shift to a hybrid or flexible way of working in the past year, which is no surprise given the pandemic.

26 – Remote workers receive less training

Only 70% of remote workers get regular training from their company. (TalentLMS)

Remember not to treat your future remote workers like second-class employees. While remote packages are important, areas such as training and development still need to be included to maximize productivity!

27 – COVID-19 was the main driver

Due to COVID-19, there has been a 135% rise in remote job offerings. (Meetfrank) 

Remote workers are becoming more and more popular. People want to work remotely, and the market is responding with more and more remote jobs coming onto the market each day.

28 – Some companies lag behind the trend

Despite the popularity of remote work, 44% of companies still don’t allow for remote workers. (Apollo Technical)

Isn’t it funny that despite the benefits remote workers bring to companies, remote work statistics such as these still exist? In 2022, you need to be offering a remote workforce option in the market.

29 – Some choose the hybrid work option

30% of employees considered themselves hybrid employees, and 35% of employees reported working remotely. (Quantum Workplace)

Working remotely isn’t just a practical thing, remote work is part of employees’ identities now. When hiring for important roles, don’t close your mind to employees who work remotely, or remote advocates will close their minds to you.

30 – Recruiters adapt their hiring process to remote

In 2020, 84% of recruiters said they were in the process of adapting their hiring processes to facilitate remote exchanges – don’t get left behind! (JobVite)

This is where we can help. At Toggl Hire, we’re a skills assessment platform made for remote work and remote workers, by remote workers. If you want to accurately assess your candidate’s abilities no matter where they are, a skills-first assessment platform is the best way to get super-accurate results! Get started free here.

Also, find out more by watching out 1-minute explainer video below:

The Future of Remote Work – More Remote Employees To Come?

But what does the remote work future hold? Both employers and employees recognise the benefits, and it’s hard to deny the remote work trend that’s sweeping across the globe – so we’re pretty sure that remote work is here to stay!

Here are some more remote work statistics to back that up 📊📊📊👇👇👇

31 – Remote work trend will continue

By 2028, 73% of all departments are expected to have remote workers. (UpWork)

32 – Remote work will become standard

Based on a new remote work trend study, 48% of employees will work remotely at least partially post-COVID-19 -compared to only 30% before the pandemic. (Gartner)

33 – Managers will learn to manage remotely

Managers see remote work as the new normal now, too. 6 in 10 of them are planning to allow their employees to work remotely more frequently than before COVID. (Gallup)

34 – Remote work won’t work for everyone

But despite all the benefits of remote, remote work isn’t without its downside, with 20% of respondents struggling with communication and loneliness when they work remotely. (Buffer)

35 – US workforce will shift to remote

It’s predicted that 60% of the US workforce will be working remotely by 2024. (KnowBe4)

36 – Another study found that by 2025, an estimated 70% of the workforce will be working remotely (i.e. not in their office setting) at least five days a month. (Vox)

37 – Extra days saved by not commuting

In the future, remote workers will have 20-30 extra days per year to accomplish other things thanks to the reduction in daily commuting. (Hackernoon)

38 – Remote work is an employee right

From 2022, 77% of employees are expecting to work at least three days a week remotely. (The Conference Board)

39 – Higher productivity, more profit

Businesses will take advantage of remote employees working an additional 1.4 more days per month than in-office employees, which is nearly 17 additional workdays a year. (Business News Daily)

40 – Remote workers will stay remote

99% of current remote workers would like to work remotely, at least some of the time, for the rest of their careers. (Buffer)

Wrapping Up

The remote work statistics don’t lie. Remote work is becoming more and more popular across the globe, with benefits for employers and employees alike!

Remote workers love it for its fewer distractions, mental health boosts, and time away from the physical office helping them achieve a better work life balance. For employers, it’s a great way to save on cost, boost job satisfaction, and meet sustainability targets through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Job seekers who apply to companies globally are looking for more remote work opportunities. If you’re hiring a remote job or a flexible job, it’s all about showing off to top talent by showcasing how you let employees work remotely at your organization. On top of this, while assessing job seekers, use remote, full-funnel hiring tools, such as Toggl Hire’s skills assessments, to make the process slicker, easier, and more efficient. That way, you’ll ensure you only hire the best candidates that can actually do the job!