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Working from Home Increases Work-Home Distances

Author

Listed:
  • Coskun, Sena

    (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg)

  • Dauth, Wolfgang

    (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung)

  • Gartner, Hermann

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

  • Stops, Michael

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

  • Weber, Enzo

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

Abstract

This paper examines how the shift towards working from home during and after the Covid-19 pandemic shapes the way how labor market and locality choices interact. For our analysis, we combine large administrative data on employment biographies in Germany and a new working from home potential indicator based on comprehensive data on working conditions across occupations. We find that in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the distance between workplace and residence has increased more strongly for workers in occupations that can be done from home: The association of working from home potential and work-home distance increased significantly since 2021 as compared to a stable pattern before. The effect is much larger for new jobs, suggesting that people match to jobs with high working from home potential that are further away than before the pandemic. Most of this effect stems from jobs in big cities, which indicates that working from home alleviates constraints by tight housing markets. We find no significant evidence that commuting patterns changed more strongly for women than for men.

Suggested Citation

  • Coskun, Sena & Dauth, Wolfgang & Gartner, Hermann & Stops, Michael & Weber, Enzo, 2024. "Working from Home Increases Work-Home Distances," IZA Discussion Papers 16855, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16855
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    1. Laszlo Goerke & Markus M. Grabka & Viola Hilbert & Yue Huang, 2026. "Industrial Relations and Working from Home in Germany during the COVID-19 Pandemic," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1241, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    2. Paula Prenzel & Samuel Tomczyk, 2025. "How exogenous shocks may shape regional quality of life: a dynamic perspective on migration determinants during the Covid-19 pandemic," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 45(3), pages 505-537, September.
    3. Martínez-Bernabéu, Lucas & Coombes, Mike & Casado-Díaz, José Manuel, 2025. "Assessing mobile phone data as proxy census commuting data for transport geography research: a critical review and case study," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    4. Michael Christl & Aron Kiss & Wolfgang Nagl, 2025. "The Effects of COVID-19 on Labour Market Matching in Austria: A Regional Perspective," WIFO Working Papers 708, WIFO.
    5. Dario Alessandro de Pinto & Donato Milella & Daniele Macali & Riccardo Basile & Carmen Lavinia & Giovanni Murano & Marco Rao & Roberta Roberto & Andrea Tortora & Alessandro Zini, 2026. "The environmental impact of remote working. Insights from a survey conducted at Banca d'Italia," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 999, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    6. Coskun, Sena & Dauth, Wolfgang & Gartner, Hermann & Stops, Michael & Weber, Enzo, 2026. "Working from home increases work–home distances," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    7. Benner, Niklas & Heuer, Felix & Kamb, Rebecca & Storm, Eduard, 2025. "Do economic crises reshape the skill content of Jobs? Evidence from organizational changes in the post-pandemic era," Ruhr Economic Papers 1195, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    8. Christl, Michael & Kiss, Aron & Nagl, Wolfgang, 2024. "The Effects of COVID-19 on Labour Market Matching in Austria: A Regional and Sectoral Perspective," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1521, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Kuhn, Sarah & Seibert, Holger & Weyh, Antje, 2025. "Struktur und Entwicklung der Pendlerbewegungen in der Lausitz," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Berlin-Brandenburg 202502, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    10. Rainald Borck & Matthias Kalkuhl & Kai Lessmann, 2025. "Is Work from Home Good for the Environment?," CESifo Working Paper Series 12300, CESifo.
    11. Giuseppe Croce & Lavinia Stendardo d'Astuto, 2026. "Does work from home improve matching in the labour market? First evidence from European countries," Working Papers in Public Economics 271, Department of Economics and Law, Sapienza University of Rome.
    12. Jorck, Gerrit von & Börger, Tobias & Ghirardello, Linda & Meyerhoff, Jürgen & Praetorius, Barbara, 2025. "The impact of work arrangements on the choice to work from home: a discrete-continuous choice experiment," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 59, pages 1-029.
    13. Alipour Jean-Victor & Müller Marlene & Verkühlen Nadine, 2025. "Homeoffice: Zukunftsvision auf dem Weg zu mehr Gleichberechtigung?," Wirtschaftsdienst, Paradigm, vol. 105(1), pages 59-63.
    14. Anneli Kährik & Katarzyna Kajdanek & Epp Vallikivi & Helina Tamm & Raul Garcia Estevez & Bianka Plüschke-Altof & Tiit Tammaru, 2026. "Where the Grass Is Greener: Deconcentration Mobility and Activity Space Changes Among Remote‐Worker Families," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 14.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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