Remote Work Continues to Rise Despite Return-to-Office Mandates

Return-to-office mandates gained steam in 2025, and yet more employees are working from home.

Last year, 35% of employed people did some or all work remotely, up from 33% in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest American Time Use Survey.

Workers with a bachelor's degree or higher were more likely to work from home, at least some of the time. Women were also more likely to work from home than their male counterparts and devote more time to childcare and other household tasks, the survey found.

Other research shows some women also choose occupations that pay less but provide more flexibility to accommodate their family responsibilities, which has contributed to a persistent gender pay gap.

Employers have become stricter about enforcing office attendance, but many employees still push back against return-to-office plans, often resulting in a hybrid work model that is now more the norm than the exception.

Even in an increasingly tight labor market, workers prioritize autonomy and flexibility over the traditional nine-to-five schedule, according to a separate survey by staffing firm Randstad, which polled more than 27,000 workers globally.

Although 81% of employers said that remote or hybrid work has made collaboration more challenging, only 48% of employees said that working in the office — and with their co-workers — boosts their productivity, Randstad's 2026 Workmonitor found.

"Traditional career goals are changing, with talent and organizations thinking with greater flexibility about what success looks like. However, human connection remains core to organizations," Sander van't Noordende, Randstad's CEO, said in a statement.