Remote Work Maintains Steady Grip Despite Corporate Mandates

According to the monthly work-from-home survey conducted by economists Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven Davis, employees spent 26% of their paid days working remotely this May. This figure remains nearly identical to the 27% recorded two years ago, marking a significant departure from the 7% average observed in 2019. Workplace activity metrics from Kastle Systems and Placer.ai corroborate this trend, with office occupancy in major cities remaining substantially below pre-pandemic levels.

Emma Harrington, an economist at the University of Virginia, notes that this evidence contradicts the narrative that remote work is fading. While major mandates capture headlines, they represent only a fraction of the 163 million people in the U.S. labor force. The durability of flexible arrangements may stem from a generational shift in leadership; Nicholas Bloom’s research indicates that CEOs aged 40 and under are significantly more likely to embrace hybrid models than their older counterparts. As executive turnover continues, these younger leaders are expected to sustain, and potentially expand, the prevalence of remote work.