- 25-49 year olds most likely to still be working from home in 2024.
- 18-24 year olds see the largest fall in those working in a fixed location.
- Wales was the only country to see home working numbers fall.
- David Weaver of Reveal shares his thoughts.
Although some businesses are pushing for a return to the office, a new data analysis has shown that in 2024, people are still working from home at a higher rate than they were in 2019, indicating that remote work is here to stay.
Reveal compared YouGov data from July 2019 to July 2024 to see if the increase in home working which happened during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns had begun to fade or if some businesses were yet to call their employees back to the office.
Workers aged between 25 and 49 saw the largest changes since 2019, with 35% of respondents working from home in 2024, as opposed to 17% in 2019.
| Working From Home | |||
| Age Group | 2019 | 2024 | % Difference |
| 25-49 | 17% | 35% | 18% |
| 50-64 | 13% | 23% | 10% |
| 18-24 | 5% | 15% | 10% |
| 65+ | 6% | 8% | 2% |
The 25 to 49 age group also showed a 6% drop in the number of people working in fixed workplace, and despite seeing the large rise in home working, they remained as the grouping with the highest percentage working in a fixed setting.
| Working in a Fixed Location | |||
| Age Group | 2019 | 2024 | % Difference |
| 25-49 | 54% | 48% | -6% |
| 50-64 | 38% | 35% | -3% |
| 18-24 | 38% | 27% | -11% |
| 65+ | 6% | 4% | -4% |
Although Great Britain overall saw a 12% increase in people working from home in 2024, Wales as an individual country was the only area which saw the number of people working from home fall. While London had the highest percentage of home workers overall.
| Working From Home | |||
| Location | 2019 | 2024 | % Difference |
| London | 14% | 29% | 15% |
| The South | 12% | 25% | 13% |
| The North | 13% | 24% | 11% |
| The Midlands | 11% | 22% | 11% |
| Scotland | 10% | 19% | 9% |
| Wales | 17% | 16% | -1% |
Workers in the Midlands were the most likely group to work in an office or physical location with 35% of respondents working in that setting.
| Working in a Fixed Location | |||
| Location | 2019 | 2024 | % Difference |
| The Midlands | 39% | 35% | -4% |
| The South | 37% | 33% | -4% |
| Scotland | 41% | 33% | -8% |
| London | 38% | 31% | -7% |
| The North | 34% | 31% | -3% |
| Wales | 37% | 26% | -11% |
David Weaver of Reveal shared his thoughts on the statistics:
“The Covid pandemic made a lot of businesses and workers aware that their jobs could be done without the need for travel to and from an office, while the expectation may have been that this would be temporary, perception may have changed with time.
“This is supported by falls in the number of people working in fixed locations overall across all demographics. While some jobs, those in retail or construction for example, will require someone to be physically present, the time during lockdowns and the few years since have proven that a lot of roles can be carried out by people within their own home environment, especially with the rapid improvements in technology.
“While there is differing research on whether or not people working from home are more or less productive, the right working space can be incredibly important to boosting mood and focus, which ultimately can allow people to be much more effective in their work.
“Speaking to one of our colleagues, it was interesting to learn of how life has changed for himself and his partner as they previously commuted to London every day. It helped us to reflect on how this could affect the shape, size and configuration of residential properties to meet the needs of those working from home, especially in cases where a couple or family all work from the same place.”
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