The number of workers returning to the office is gradually increasing across Europe, according to new data from Eurofound.
The latest EU Life and Work e-survey shows that the proportion of employees working entirely outside the workplace has risen from 36% in 2023 to 41% in 2024, marking a shift away from the widespread teleworking trend triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the peak of remote working in 2021, more than 40 million people in the EU were working remotely, double the number in 2019.
While the shift to remote working initially happened overnight, the return to the office has been more gradual. Now, large companies are pushing for a full-scale return, often against employee preferences. Employers argue that face-to-face work promotes collaboration, productivity and innovation, while employees cite greater autonomy and improved work-life balance as key benefits of remote working.
The data also shows a shift in the gender mix. For the first time, it appears that more women than men now work exclusively in the office, while men have slightly more access to telecommuting options.
Teleworking rates vary widely across Europe. Remote working is least prevalent in Cyprus and Greece, while the Netherlands and Ireland have the highest rates. Despite Ireland’s strong telecommuting culture, an estimated 350,000 jobs that could be done remotely are still in the workplace.
While the shift to office work is not universal, this trend suggests that the teleworking experiment in Europe may be entering a new phase.
