Remote work in Europe has settled into a durable hybrid pattern. This report benchmarks the UK, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Nordics on adoption, job postings, office utilization, people outcomes, and policy. It translates fresh statistics into practical actions for employers.
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Contents
- Key numbers at a glance
- What people do vs what they want
- Hiring market signals
- Productivity, performance, and well‑being
- Country drill‑downs
- Office utilization and urban effects
- Compliance and policy notes
- What to do next
- Methods, definitions, and limits
- FAQ
- References
1) Key numbers at a glance
Region
- Hybrid collaboration is embedded
52.9 percent of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees held remote meetings in 2024, a further rise since 2022. Use this as an infrastructure signal for hybrid operations. (European Commission) - EU working from home data
Eurostat’s harmonized Labour Force Survey dataset shows continued elevation of working‑from‑home across EU members, updated June 12, 2025. Use this as your anchor for “usually” or “sometimes” WFH by country and group. (Data.europa.eu)
Selected countries
- United Kingdom – 28 percent hybrid in Jan–Mar 2025. (Office for National Statistics)
- Germany – 24.4 percent of employees worked from home at least some of the time in Aug 2025, with 1.6 days per week among degree holders in the 40‑country comparison. (ifo Institut)
- France – 18.2 percent teleworked at least one day per week in 2024, with hybrid near two days per week where used. (Insee)
- Spain – In Q1 2024, 37.5 percent of enterprises allowed telework, 19.8 percent of employees teleworked regularly, and teleworkers averaged 2.4 days per week. (INE)
- Netherlands – 52 percent worked from home sometimes or most of the time in 2023. (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek)
- Nordics snapshot – Finland: 35 percent of wage and salary earners worked remotely in 2023. Sweden’s 2024 LFS theme confirms WFH remains well above pre‑pandemic levels. (Statistics Finland, Statistikmyndigheten SCB)
2) What people do vs what they want
- Preferences still exceed supply for fully remote
Eurofound’s 2024 e‑survey shows a shift back toward the workplace compared with 2023, even as many workers retain a preference for flexibility. The share working entirely from the workplace rose from 36 percent in 2023 to 41 percent in 2024, signalling policy and market adjustments rather than a full reversal. (Mynewsdesk) - Global context
The Global Survey of Working Arrangements finds a stable post‑2023 equilibrium in WFH days, with advanced English‑speaking economies typically higher than much of continental Europe and Asia. Use this to calibrate expectations by role and country. (WFH Research, Hoover Institution)
Implication
Set country‑specific targets for hybrid cadence rather than applying a single global rule.
3) Hiring market signals
- Plateau at elevated levels
Indeed’s Europe analysis shows remote or hybrid language holding near peaks across large markets in 2024: 15–16 percent of postings in the UK and Germany, around 10 percent in France, about 18 percent in Spain. The broader OECD–Indeed project confirms a structural step‑up since 2019 and a plateau by early 2023. (Indeed Hiring Lab) - Regular chartbooks
Hiring Lab’s 2025 Europe chartbooks reiterate that remote shares have stabilized or edged down in some countries but remain far above 2019. (Indeed Hiring Lab)
Implication
Expect continued competition for remote‑capable talent in professional and tech segments, with hybrid more available than fully remote.
4) Productivity, performance, and well‑being
- Design beats mandate
Gallup’s 2025 coverage describes a remote work paradox: fully remote workers often report higher engagement while thriving trails hybrid peers. The lever is team design, expectations, and manager quality. (Gallup.com) - Execution challenges
HBR’s 2025 feature argues many firms still have not redesigned work for hybrid, weakening collaboration and culture. The fix is to re‑engineer workflows rather than rely on attendance rules. (Harvard Business Review)
Implication
Measure outputs and team health, not badge swipes. Invest in role‑based “why meet in person” criteria.
5) Country drill‑downs
United Kingdom
- How much hybrid
28 percent hybrid in Jan–Mar 2025, up from 2022. Access varies by education, income, and disability status. (Office for National Statistics) - Office attendance
UK office occupancy reached 37.8 percent in March 2025, the highest since 2020, with the usual mid‑week peaks. (Remit Consulting) - Flexible working framework
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 took effect on 6 April 2024, expanding the statutory right to request flexible working. (Legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK)
Germany
- Prevalence and intensity
24.4 percent of employees worked from home at least some of the time in August 2025. In degree‑holder comparisons across 40 countries, Germany averages 1.6 WFH days per week. (ifo Institut) - Market context
Office markets show flight‑to‑quality and restrained development. Attendance stabilizes with busy peak days in prime assets across Europe. (CBRE)
France
- How much WFH
18.2 percent of employees teleworked at least one day per week in 2024. Typical hybrid cadence is close to two days for those who telework. (Insee) - Right to disconnect
France’s labour code establishes a right to disconnect, implemented via collective agreements or charters. Use official guidance for compliance design. (inrs.fr)
Spain
- Enterprise and worker signals
In Q1 2024, 37.5 percent of enterprises permitted telework. 19.8 percent of employees teleworked regularly and teleworkers averaged 2.4 days per week. (INE) - Legal framework
Ley 10/2021 is Spain’s distance work law. It codifies obligations including cost coverage and the right to disconnect. (BOE, Sepe)
Netherlands
- European leader on prevalence
52 percent worked from home sometimes or most of the time in 2023. Among the EU’s highest. (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek)
Nordics snapshot
- Finland
35 percent of wage and salary earners worked remotely in 2023. (Statistics Finland) - Sweden
2024 LFS theme report confirms WFH remains well above pre‑pandemic levels, with detailed distribution by occupation and hours worked. (Statistikmyndigheten SCB)
6) Office utilization and urban effects
- United Kingdom
Remit Consulting’s ReTurn series reports a pandemic‑era high 37.8 percent average occupancy in March 2025, consistent with a hybrid rhythm that peaks mid‑week. (Remit Consulting) - Continental Europe
Advisory and brokerage reads signal stable attendance and peak‑day strain in top assets, even while overall utilization is below 2019. Combine entry data with role analytics rather than using occupancy as a performance proxy. (CBRE, Savills)
7) Compliance and policy notes
- EU‑level baseline
The 2002 Framework Agreement on Telework provides core principles on voluntariness, health and safety, equipment, data protection, and equal treatment. National law or collective agreements operationalize these principles. (EU-OSHA, resourcecentre.etuc.org) - Right to disconnect
Implemented with differences across countries. Examples: France has a legal framework operationalized via agreements or charters. Belgium introduced a right to disconnect via its 2022 Labour Deal, with application in company rules or collective agreements. Portugal’s Law 83/2021 restricts employer contact outside working hours. (inrs.fr, Mayer Brown, Legal Blogs) - United Kingdom
From April 6, 2024, employees have a day‑one right to request flexible working under the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 and related regulations. (Legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK) - Spain
Ley 10/2021 on distance work sets cost, equipment, and home‑working contract requirements and protects the right to disconnect. (BOE, Sepe)
8) What to do next
- Design for task‑fit hybrid
Use on‑site days for work that benefits from co‑presence, and publish team‑level criteria for when and why to meet in person. (Harvard Business Review) - Codify flexibility with country‑specific policies
Map your European footprint to national rules on telework, right to disconnect, and flexible working requests. Use EU framework principles to keep consistency. (EU-OSHA) - Hire transparently
If a role can be hybrid or remote, say it in the posting. Demand exceeds supply for fully remote across many European markets. (Indeed Hiring Lab) - Measure outcomes, not occupancy
Attendance is a space‑planning input. Performance depends on clear goals, feedback, and manager capability. (Gallup.com)
9) Methods, definitions, and limits
- Behavior vs access vs employer intent
We separate diary‑day behavior and “usually” WFH measures from job ads that reflect employer intent. Use Eurostat for prevalence and Indeed for postings. (Data.europa.eu, Indeed Hiring Lab) - National statistical sources
ONS, INSEE, INE, CBS, SCB, and ifo supply the most comparable country reads for Europe. Where possible, we quote the latest period and exact month or quarter. (Office for National Statistics, Insee, INE, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Statistikmyndigheten SCB, ifo Institut) - Vendor and brokerage data
We use Remit for UK occupancy and CBRE or Savills for European market context. These are occupancy or availability indicators, not productivity metrics. (Remit Consulting, CBRE, Savills)
10) FAQ
Is remote work declining in Europe in 2025
Not in a simple sense. Several European indicators have stabilized since 2023, with some countries edging down and others flat, while EU enterprises continue to expand remote collaboration. (Indeed Hiring Lab, European Commission)
Which European countries are most remote‑friendly
The Netherlands leads on prevalence. The UK and Germany show high hybrid adoption in postings, while Spain’s enterprise adoption and teleworkers’ days per week continue rising. (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Indeed Hiring Lab, INE)
What do office occupancy numbers mean for performance
They show presence, not output. UK occupancy hit 37.8 percent in March 2025, but people and business outcomes depend more on manager quality and work design than on attendance. (Remit Consulting, Gallup.com)
What are the key legal considerations for telework
Follow EU framework principles, then implement local rules such as the UK day‑one right to request flexible working, Spain’s Ley 10/2021, and right‑to‑disconnect provisions in France, Belgium, and Portugal. (EU-OSHA, Legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, BOE, inrs.fr, Mayer Brown, Legal Blogs)
TLDR
- Hybrid is mainstream in the UK. 28 percent of working adults reported hybrid working in January to March 2025. (Office for National Statistics)
- EU enterprises have normalized hybrid collaboration. 52.9 percent conducted remote meetings in 2024, up from 2022. (European Commission)
- Employer signals are sticky. Indeed finds remote or hybrid options plateaued near peak levels across major European job markets, roughly 15 to 16 percent of postings in the UK and Germany, around 10 percent in France, and about 18 percent in Spain. (Indeed Hiring Lab)
- Country snapshots point to a stable hybrid equilibrium: Germany shows about one quarter of employees working from home at least some of the time in August 2025 and 1.6 days per week on average among degree holders. France reports 18.2 percent teleworking at least one day per week in 2024 with a typical two‑day hybrid rhythm. The Netherlands leads on prevalence with 52 percent working from home sometimes or most of the time in 2023. (ifo Institut, Insee, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek)
- Office attendance is stable rather than surging. UK office occupancy reached a pandemic‑era high of 37.8 percent in March 2025, while European brokerage analysis notes stable attendance and peak‑day crowding in prime buildings. (Remit Consulting, CBRE)
- People outcomes are mixed. Gallup’s 2025 coverage highlights a remote work paradox: higher engagement for fully remote workers but lower thriving, which puts the focus on management and team design. (Gallup.com)
