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Working from home after COVID-19: Evidence from job postings in 20 countries

Author

Listed:
  • Adrjan, Pawel
  • Ciminelli, Gabriele
  • Judes, Alexandre
  • Koelle, Michael
  • Schwellnus, Cyrille
  • Sinclair, Tara M.

Abstract

Remote work surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. To analyze its post-pandemic persistency, we construct an original dataset measuring remote and hybrid work (WFH) in 20 OECD countries and 55 occupations from January 2019 to December 2023, based on over 1 billion job postings from the global job site Indeed. The share of job postings advertising WFH more than quadrupled from about 2.5 % to around 11 % between January 2020 and January 2023 in the average country in our sample, continuing to grow even after pandemic-related restrictions were phased out. Exploiting changes in pandemic severity across countries and differences in the feasibility of remote work across occupations in a difference-in-differences design, we find that increases in pandemic severity substantially raised advertised WFH, but pandemic easing had no effect. We then use job search data to document persistently high interest in WFH from jobseekers and conclude that the post-pandemic persistency of WFH may partly be a response by employers to demand for flexibility from workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Adrjan, Pawel & Ciminelli, Gabriele & Judes, Alexandre & Koelle, Michael & Schwellnus, Cyrille & Sinclair, Tara M., 2025. "Working from home after COVID-19: Evidence from job postings in 20 countries," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:96:y:2025:i:c:s0927537125000752
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102751
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Andreas Kotsadam & Mette Løvgren & Nicolas Moreau & Elena Stancanelli & Arthur van Soest, 2025. "When Gender Kicks in: an Experimental Study of Work from Home and Attitudes to Household Work and Childcare," PSE Working Papers halshs-05423519, HAL.
    2. Pawel Adrjan & Jonas Jessen & Carlos Victoria Lanzón, 2026. "Restricting Temporary Contracts Increases Firm-Provided Training: Evidence from Spain," CESifo Working Paper Series 12594, CESifo.

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    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • M50 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - General

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