IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v89y2026icp348-369.html

Impact of work-from-home during COVID-19 on subsequent work outcomes in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Kitamura, Tomoki
  • Adachi, Yoshimi

Abstract

This study examines the impact of work-from-home (WFH) experience during the COVID-19 pandemic on post-pandemic work outcomes in Japan, where WFH adoption was voluntary rather than mandated. Leveraging this unique context, we employ an instrumental variable approach to address potential endogeneity and use industry-stratified sampling to mitigate selection bias. Using original survey data on young and middle-aged workers, we find that WFH experience significantly improved work efficiency, willingness to take on challenging tasks, perceived career opportunities, and income in the post-pandemic period, but did not significantly affect job change intentions. The effects of WFH experience vary by gender, parental status, education, and age. Our results also reveal differences between the extensive and intensive margins of WFH adoption, indicating that transitioning to WFH yields substantial benefits, whereas increasing WFH frequency provides limited additional gains. Given Japan’s government-led Work Style Reform, incorporating WFH into long-term labor policies could enhance productivity and work–life balance, while addressing barriers and limitations in its use.

Suggested Citation

  • Kitamura, Tomoki & Adachi, Yoshimi, 2026. "Impact of work-from-home during COVID-19 on subsequent work outcomes in Japan," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 348-369.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:89:y:2026:i:c:p:348-369
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2025.11.019
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592625004680
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2025.11.019?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:89:y:2026:i:c:p:348-369. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.