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The Impact of COVID-19 on Workers’ Expectations and Preferences for Remote Work

Author

Listed:
  • Yuting Chen
  • Patricia Cortés
  • Gizem Koşar
  • Jessica Pan
  • Basit Zafar

Abstract

We study how COVID-19 affected the prevalence, expectations, and attitudes toward remote work using specially designed surveys. The incidence of remote work remains higher than pre-pandemic levels and both men and women expect this to persist post-pandemic. Workers also report increased preference for remote work as a result of the pandemic. These changes are strongly correlated with individuals’ exposure to the pandemic induced work-from-home shock, indicating that experience with remote work during the pandemic likely shaped expectations and preferences toward WFH. The magnitude of the effects on preferences and expectations are similar across gender, marital status, and presence of children.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuting Chen & Patricia Cortés & Gizem Koşar & Jessica Pan & Basit Zafar, 2023. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Workers’ Expectations and Preferences for Remote Work," NBER Working Papers 30941, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30941
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barrero, Jose Maria & Bloom, Nick & Davis, Steven J., 2020. "Why Working From Home Will Stick," SocArXiv wfdbe, Center for Open Science.
    2. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Jose Maria Barrero & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis & Mathias Dolls & Pablo Zarate, 2022. "Working from Home Around the World," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 53(2 (Fall)), pages 281-360.
    3. Matthew Wiswall & Basit Zafar, 2018. "Preference for the Workplace, Investment in Human Capital, and Gender," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(1), pages 457-507.
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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