Almost 90% of employees would like to stay working remotely after Covid restrictions end

Of those aged 35-44 years who could work remotely, 90% said they would like to do so when pandemic restrictions end. File picture

More than two-thirds (69%) of people, who are unable to work due to longstanding health problems, would consider taking up employment if it could be done remotely.

This is according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which published findings from their pulse survey on remote working  – ‘Our Lives Online’.

This report looked at how our work has moved away from regular workplaces to homes, and other environments, since the pandemic began.

Nine in 10 (90%) of those aged 35-44 years who could work remotely would like to do so when pandemic restrictions endhttps://t.co/IMotb5baw1 #CSOIreland #Ireland #CSOTakePart #PULSESurvey #TellUsIreland #Internet #InternetUsage #WorkingFromHome #ICTSkills #Households pic.twitter.com/Wof6ZE42nZ

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) January 18, 2022

The survey also examined some aspects of work-life balance.

The report showed that 80% of those in employment have worked remotely at some point since the start of the pandemic. This is compared to 23% who worked remotely at some point before the pandemic.

Of those in employment who can work remotely, 88% would like to keep doing so after the pandemic restrictions have been lifted.

Of these, nearly three in 10 (28%) said they would like to do so all the time and six in 10 (60%) said they would like to work remotely some of the time.

While the remainder (12%) said they would not like to work remotely in the future.

Of those aged 35-44 years who could work remotely, 90% said they would like to do so when pandemic restrictions end.

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Almost six in 10 (58%) of those not in employment would consider taking a job if it could be done remotely. 

Commenting on the results, statistician Dermot Kinane, said: “Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the work conditions of those in employment in Ireland has changed dramatically, with access to workplaces restricted as part of public health measures.

“This is why the CSO has produced ‘Our Lives Online: Remote Work’, which is the second publication to be produced from this Pulse survey as part of the CSO ‘Take Part’ campaign,” he added.

Respondents were asked a series of questions about their current and future working arrangements and the impact remote work has had on their work-life balance.

“Overall, almost three in four (74%) who work remotely said they feel they had more time on their hands, because of remote work, to do things they never got the chance to do before the pandemic,” Mr Kinane said.

“The most popular activity undertaken by remote workers who felt they had extra time, as a result of working remotely, was domestic or household tasks. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) chose this activity as one of the things they do now with more women (73%) than men (66%) using some extra time for this,” he added.