45 Surprising Remote Work Statistics (2024)

In 2024, remote working remains the norm for many global, forward-thinking businesses. Whether it’s full-time remote workers or hybrid workers splitting their time between office space and home in a flexible work setting, getting things done remotely while creating a better work-life balance benefits everyone.

But what’s the data really saying on remote work and recruiting remote workers? We’ve got the lowdown on 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 2024 and beyond.

Only have a few minutes to spare? Jump straight to any section:

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

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Remote work in 2024: More than just a better work-life balance

Over the past few years, working remotely has become increasingly popular (at least for employees, with 63% of people prioritizing remote work over salary). However, 90% of companies plan to implement return-to-office policies by the end of 2024. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of remote work forever.

The end of 2024 is still a long way away, and the job market is constantly changing. It remains to be seen if businesses will follow through on their RTO plans, especially when taking into account the recent backlash against major employers who have forced employees back to office.

Stacie Haller, Chief Career Advisor

Why have businesses backpedaled on their remote working policies? ResumeBuilder’s survey revealed that 3 in 4 businesses polled say return to office mandates have improved revenue, which is interesting, given that Buffer’s 2023 State of Remote Work survey found that certain things are just easier to do when working remotely, especially focused work (70%), managing stress (65%), and avoiding distractions (50%).

Across the board, 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.

But now we’re rambling (as you can see, we love and support remote work). Here are some remote work stats to back all of this up!

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1. Flexible schedule

22% of remote workers say the biggest benefit to remote work is flexibility in how they spend their time. For 19%, that flexibility manifests in the ability to choose where they live, and for 13%, it’s the flexibility to choose their work location. (Buffer)

2. Higher productivity

77% of those who work remotely at least a few times per month show increased productivity, with 30% doing more work in less time and 24% doing more work in the same period of time. (Apollo Technical)

3. Even higher productivity

94% of employees polled by Zippia said that their personal level of productivity is the same or higher when working remotely. (Zippia)

4. Greener alternative

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

5. Higher profit per employee

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

6. Increased revenue and growth

The average public company, with a flexible remote working policy outperformed on revenue growth over the past three years by 16 percentage points. (Scoop)

7. The preferred way of working

76% of employees would actively seek a new job if their current employer got rid of flexible work options. (Greenhouse)

Leaders that haven’t been listening to candidates and employees in recent years will be forced to realize that work has undergone a massive shift, and they can either adapt to this new world or lose out on top talent, and ultimately, business success.

Donald Knight, Chief People Officer at Greenhouse

8. Applicants read remote work policies

42% of candidates won’t even apply for a role if it doesn’t offer their preferred working model. (Greenhouse)

9. 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)

10. The office environment loses its appeal

42% of businesses with return-to-office mandates are having a harder time with employee retention than expected. (Unispace)

11. Hybrid setup is okay, too

38% of hybrid workers say the office works best for meeting new people, 30% say it’s best for team meetings, and 28% prefer it for collaborating. Overall, 90% of hybrid workers said they feel equally or more productive when working in a hybrid format. (OwlLabs)

12. Millennials don’t want to commute

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

13. Managers are buying into hybrid

79% of managers polled feel their team is more productive when working remotely or hybrid, and 11% feel no change in productivity. (OwlLabs)

14. 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)

15. 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. (Gov UK)

16. Fewer boundaries

81% of remote workers check emails out of office hours, 63% check email on weekends or days off, and 34% while on vacation. (Buffer)

17. Some remote workers work more

44% of remote workers reported that they worked more in 2023 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, 32% reported working the same amount, and 24% reported working less. (Buffer)

18. Higher salaries

Remote workers in the United States are paid 9.7% more than in-office employees (an average of $8,553 more). However, some are getting paid anywhere between 17% to 58% more. (Fortune)

19. Businesses still see the benefits

Despite such a large rollback of remote working policies, 54% of businesses saw improved retention due to remote work, 52% experienced higher productivity, and 48% enjoyed access to a broader talent pool. (ZipRecruiter)

Remote hiring statistics: How to hire remote workers

So, if you’re recruiting remote workers in 2024, what do you need to keep in mind? After all, a lot of people want to work remotely, at least some of the time.

According to FlexJobs, almost half of millennials (45%) and roughly two-thirds of Gen X (62%) say their ideal work arrangement is working remotely 100% of the time. As such, they expect this as part of their contract (alongside other standard remote employee benefits like health and wellness packages).

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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20. Work-from-home policies help 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.

21. Remote job postings get more applicants

Remote roles attract more than three times as many applications as in-office jobs. (ZipRecruiter)

22. Remote work is an expected employee benefit

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

23. Remote work increases employee loyalty

79% of respondents would be more loyal to their employer if they had flexible remote opportunities. Alternatively, 60% of professionals have left or have considered leaving a job due to the lack of flexibility. (FlexJobs)

24. Remote work is exploding in popularity among applicants

63% choose remote work as the most important aspect of a job posting, beating out salary (61%), flexible schedules (55%), work-life boundaries (54%), and having a good boss (48%). (FlexJobs)

Remote work is here to stay.

Nick Bunker, Economist at Indeed

24. Employees will take pay cuts to work remotely

Job seekers say they’d be prepared to take a 14% pay cut to work remotely, on average. The figure skews higher, to about 20%, for parents with young children. (ZipRecruiter)

26. 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. Some of those highest-paying jobs of 2024 are remote-friendly, including most tech-focused and marketing roles. (DataProt)

27. Younger talent loves remote work

87% of Gen Z want to work remotely, and 27% view remote work as a necessity from their employer. (GOBankingRates)

Most Gen Zers thrive best in situations when they are left to discover things on their own and solve things with their own initiative. Thus, a remote work setting works perfectly for them because it helps preserve that individuality in the workplace, while also enabling the kind of collaboration that they’re comfortable having.

Daniel Cook, HR Consultant at Mullen

28. A WFH policy is considered 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)

29. Remote work market grows

The remote workplace services market size is expected to increase from $20.1 billion in 2022 to $58.5 billion by 2027. That’s a CAGR of 23.8% (for reference, a really great CAGR is about 20%). (Markets and Markets)

30. 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!

31. COVID-19 was the main driver

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

32. Some companies lag behind the trend

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

33. Some choose the hybrid work option

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

34. 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. In 2023, 67% of hiring managers and recruiters currently use video interviews in their hiring process, representing a 49% increase from previous years. (UtilitiesOne)

The future of remote work: Where are we headed?

As you can see, the state of remote work in 2024 is still somewhat up in the air. However, both employers and employees recognize 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 (or at least hybrid) work is here to stay!

Here are some more remote work statistics to back that up.

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35. Remote work trends will continue

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

36. Remote work will become standard

A recent survey found that 30% of respondents work at an organization where “everyone at [their] company works remotely”. An additional 43% of respondents answered, “Part of the team is full-time remote, and part of the team works out of the same office.” (Statista)

37. 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 in the coming years. (Gallup)

38. Remote work won’t work for everyone

Despite all the benefits of remote, remote work isn’t without its downside, with 22% of respondents struggling with not being able to unplug while working remotely and 15% struggling with loneliness. (Buffer)

39. US workforce will shift to remote

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

40. More evidence of a remote workforce

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)

41. 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)

42. Remote work might be an employee right

From 2022, 77% of employees are expected to work at least three days a week remotely. Soon, the right to work remotely could turn into an HR and employee rights issue. (The Conference Board)

43. 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)

44. Remote workers will stay remote

98% of current remote workers would like to work remotely, at least some of the time, for the rest of their careers. (Buffer)

45. We need better reasons for in-office mandates

73% of employees and 78% of business decision-makers articulated the need for better reasons to return to the office beyond company expectations. (Techopedia)

The future of remote work is bright

Remote work statistics don’t lie — remote work models benefit employers and employees alike!

For employees, it means fewer distractions, more autonomy, and better work-life balance. For employers, remote work offers a great way to save on overhead costs, 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, to make the process easier and more efficient. That way, you’ll ensure you only hire the best remote candidates who can actually do the job!

Ready to hire remote employees? Create a free Toggl Hire account to get started.