Europe's Leading Nation for Remote Work: United Kingdom
United Kingdom workers spend more days working from home than any other European nation, indicating that large-scale office return campaigns have yet to bring employees back to the office. According to a study conducted by King's College London (KCL), white-collar UK employees work an average of 1.8 days a week in the office, compared to the global average of 1.3 days.
The findings are based on the Global Survey of Working Arrangements, and they indicate that a hybrid model of working has become the dominant pattern for full-time, university-educated professionals in Europe and North America. In fact, only Canadians work from home more than the UK, with 1.9 days spent working remotely each week. East Asian markets like Japan and South Korea, on the other hand, show significantly less remote work—with workers typically spending at least four days in the office.
"Remote work has moved from being an emergency response to becoming a defining feature of the UK labour market," said Dr. Cevat Giray Aksoy, an associate professor of economics at KCL. "This isn't just a post-pandemic hangover—British workers have clearly decided they're not going back to the old ways."
Research suggests that a stabilization in fluctuating work habits, brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and various company policies, has occurred—with UK home working levels remaining robust despite corporate efforts to encourage a return to the office. In fact, property giant British Land reported that mid-week occupancy of its London office sites has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, more than five years after the start of the work-from-home mandate.
While some argue that there are few trade-offs in terms of productivity, there are growing concerns that London's heavily service-based economy may suffer if office workers do not regularly return to the office. London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned in February that the city "cannot afford" to have its center hollowed out due to a lack of office workers.
However, Dr. Aksoy points out that flexibility and productivity can often go hand in hand, and there is currently no strong evidence that remote work leads to a decrease in productivity. In fact, for many sectors, flexibility can enhance output.
The hybrid work pattern, dominated by university-educated professionals in Europe and North America, is transforming the UK labour market, with remote work becoming a defining feature. This shift is reflected in the property sector, as UK home working levels remain robust despite corporate efforts, potentially impacting the city's heavily service-based economy if office workers do not regularly return to the office.
