Working from home has become established in Germany. However, there are major differences depending on the industry, company size, qualifications and, last but not least, the possibilities in private households.
Before the pandemic, just under 25 per cent of employees worked from home at least occasionally or when needed. After the end of the obligation to work from home from March 2022, the figure was significantly higher at almost 40 per cent. The proportion of those who use their home office at least once a week has risen from just over 11 per cent to almost 30 per cent. This is according to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin).
Data from 2014 to 2022 was evaluated for the analysis. It shows that the increase in home office use varies greatly depending on the economic sector and company size. In real estate, financial services and public administration in particular, significantly more employees are working from home at least occasionally (up to 80 per cent) than before the pandemic. In freelance, scientific and technical services, the proportion of employees working from home was already relatively high before the pandemic. Working from home is more common in larger companies than in smaller companies, where the use of working from home has only increased slightly overall.
The prevalence of working from home also varies with the household structure: employees with children use the home office particularly frequently, especially during the pandemic. Employees who work from home are more satisfied overall, both with their work and income and with their life as a whole - although the option to work from home tends to be associated with longer working hours.
The results show that working from home has become established in Germany and has not fallen back to pre-pandemic levels. Companies and politicians are called upon to support this development. This trend is also influencing the demand for living space: it is to be expected that larger flats with fast internet access will be in greater demand in the future than before.
Photo: © Pfüderi, Pixabay
