Gartner Forecasts 51% of Global Knowledge Workers Will Be Remote by the End of 2021

Having been propelled into public consciousness by the pandemic, remote work is set to become a mainstay in many people’s lives even beyond COVID. It is clear that, despite much of the world opening up and returning to the office, the remote workspace is here to stay. The least appropriate industries for remote working according to the model are construction (20%), accommodation and food services (9%), and agriculture (7%). While “increased employee morale” and “increased employee loyalty/retention” received 44% and 43% respectively.

The percentages indicate a relative change in the overall productivity levels, which is a different category than the absolute change. The latter one refers to the wage increase — and all the discrepancies can be attributed to the pay—productivity gap. Innovative companies had started introducing a hybrid model of work much before the events of the pandemic. When it comes to the preference for working arrangements, the numbers differ for employers and employees. Here are some other interesting remote work & productivity statistics. Let’s see what that means for the productivity of remote, in-office, and hybrid workers.

Majority of employees would like to work remotely some of the time.

81remote work statistics 2021 expect their employer to continue supporting remote work. Which is a 417% increase from pre-pandemic levels, where there were only 7 million people working remotely. If you found this page useful, have a look our key remote work trends, workplace trends to watch, and future of work posts.

Not only that, but these employees will also enjoy more free time per week. 75% of remote workers believe their work-life balance has improved, while 62% of workers feel remote work positively affects their work engagement. These numbers will likely increase, as 59% of workers report being more likely to choose an employer that allows remote work rather than one that doesn’t.

Statistics about how many employees want to telecommute

After two years of disruption, volatility will only continue to increase. If you’re a Gartner client you already have access to additional research and tools on your client portal. The layoff rate inched up slightly in December, though has remained below its pre-pandemic all-time low for 22 straight months, Bunker said. But December’s number is “still hugely elevated” relative to the 2.6 million pre-pandemic average, she added.

According to Gallup’s meta-analysis, the business or work units that scored the highest on employee engagement showed 21 percent higher levels of profitability than units in the lowest quartile. Companies with highly engaged workforce also scored 17 percent higher on productivity. In order to stay on the job, employees need to have relationships with other people in the workplace, and the work life needs to be balanced with their personal life.

Creating a strong remote work culture within your organization: tips and tools

Putting in more hours seems reserved for men, Owl Labs report revealed. According to Pew Research findings, both men and women find it equally easy to balance work and personal life when working from home. Well, in addition to being employees, most women across the globe are also homemakers and caregivers. In remote work, they are the majority at 58%, data from GitLab’s Remote Work Report 2021 shows.

Not being in the office face-to-face can lead to workers not being able to do their work to the fullest potential because of lack of encouragement. Face-to-face interactions increase interpersonal contact, connectedness, and trust. In 2020, 12.3% of employed persons, including 13.2% of women and 11.5% of men, in the European Union who were aged 15–64, usually worked from home. In 1996, the Home Work Convention, an International Labour Organization Convention, was created to offer protection to workers who are employed in their own homes. Other solutions lag far behind — 12 percent want more autonomy, 12 percent more inspiration, 7 percent more pay, 6 percent more training and 4 percent a promotion.

Whether this shift satisfies employees with a strong affinity for permanently working from home is yet to be determined. This shift aligns closely with the preferences of many remote-capable workers, as 60% want a long-term hybrid work arrangement. The “Great Global Work-From-Home Experiment” created by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we work and expect to work far into the future. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts.