Unequal access to remote work is a policy failure

New figures suggest the push-back to the office could collapse one of the most significant innovations in modern working life, and also risks hardening inequality within the workforce if remote work becomes an exclusive perk for higher-paid staff

If access to remote and hybrid work is allowed to harden into a perk for higher-paid roles, then inequality will be built into the working week itself. Longer commutes, heavier congestion and higher emissions will be the price paid by those with the least choice. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

If current patterns continue, you should only have access to remote or hybrid working if you earn more than a €100,000 a year, and not at all if you earn much below €60,000. Harsh? This week we learned an “overwhelming” number of jobs in the Irish economy offer no flexibility to work from home, prompting concern remote and hybrid work is now largely confined to higher-paid roles.

JobLeads, an online job platform based in Germany, reported this week that only 3.7% of 48,000 active Irish job postings are fully remote, with 13.4% hybrid, and 83% requiring daily workplace attendance.