Gekommen, um zu bleiben: Homeoffice verstetigt sich auf hohem Niveau

Abstract When the COVID pandemic broke out, firms and employees had to experiment with new forms of working, such as working from home (WFH). A representative survey among German firms in two sectors (information economy and manufacturing industry) shows that the share of firms that use WFH practices for at least some of their employees did not decrease substantially after the pandemic had ended but stabilised at a high level. The survey data reveals differences by industry as well as by firm size. Due to the higher suitability of tasks in information-intensive jobs, the use of WFH is more prevalent in firms belonging to the information economy compared to manufacturing firms. Moreover, the data shows that within larger firms the share of WFH users is higher compared to smaller firms. As the share of firms using WFH did not substantially decrease, even years after the pandemic, it is expected to stay a substantial part of the work environment. Firms’ expectations for 2027 suggest a slight increase in the share of firms using WFH.