Author(s)
Nicholas Bloom, Steven J. Davis, Mathias Dolls, Cevat Giray Aksoy, José María Barrero and Pablo Zárate
Source
CESifo Working Paper No. 9938, 2022
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift to more work from home (WFH). Workers were more productive than expected, and many firms shifted their arrangements to accommodate WFH.
Policy Relevance
The post-pandemic shift to more WFH is expected to last.
Main Points
- The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a large, lasting shift to WFH.
- A survey of workers in 27 countries showed that the average worker works from home 1.5 days per week; post-pandemic, employers planned for an average of .7 WFH days per week, with workers preferring 1.7 WFH days per week.
- Countries differ widely in the amount of WFH days planned by employers, from .3 in Taiwan to 1.8 in India; countries also differ in the amount of WFH days preferred by workers, from 1.1 in China to 2.2 in Canada.
- Employees consider the option to WFH two to three days per week as equivalent in value to 5 percent of their earnings; those with long commutes, women, and men and women with children value WFH more.
- The pandemic triggered an increase in WFH because it served as a mass social experiment, generating a flood of new information about WFH; workers were more productive in WFH than expected.
- Firms and individuals shifted their arrangements to accommodate work from home.
- In countries with the most stringent lockdowns, employers are planning the most WFH days post-pandemic; COVID-19 death rates did not affect post-pandemic WFH plans.