Global Remote Work 2025 - Statistics, Trends, and What Leaders Should Do Next

An impartial 2025 deep dive into global remote and hybrid work. We combine behavior metrics, employer signals from job ads, office utilization trends, people outcomes, and policy. Every claim is sourced to peer-reviewed research and official statistics to anchor your regional and country briefs.

By Remotly 9 min read
Earth at night with city lights across the Americas, Europe, and Africa, symbolizing global remote and hybrid work connections.
One planet. Many work rhythms. Lead with clarity, measure what matters, and hire without borders.

Key takeaways

  • Global equilibrium, local diversity - WFH stabilized after 2022 at about 1 day per week on average globally among college-educated workers, with English-speaking advanced economies roughly twice as remote as much of Asia. (PNAS, Hoover Institution)
  • Hybrid rising where feasible - ONS 2025 shows hybrid at 28 percent and rising in Great Britain. Education, income, occupation, and disability status shape access. (Office for National Statistics)
  • Signals from job ads - The OECD–Indeed dataset documents a step change in advertised flexibility that remains far above 2019 levels. LinkedIn finds demand for remote exceeds supply. (Indeed Hiring Lab, Economic Graph)
  • Buildings tell the truth - Kastle keycard data shows low-50 percent average weekly occupancy with Tuesday peaks and A+ assets exceeding 90 percent of pre-pandemic on peak days. (Kastle Systems, Allwork.Space)
  • People outcomes are mixed - Gallup’s 2025 work highlights the remote work paradox: higher engagement for fully remote, but lower thriving and higher daily stress compared with hybrid. (Gallup.com)
  • Policy codifies flexibility - Singapore’s Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests took effect in Dec 2024 and 72.7 percent of firms offered flexible work in 2024. (Ministry of Manpower Singapore, The Straits Times)
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Table of contents

  1. Definitions - and why measurement matters
  2. How to read remote-work numbers
  3. The global picture in 2025
  4. Employer signals - job postings and demand
  5. Office utilization - hybrid weeks in the data
  6. People outcomes - engagement, stress, thriving
  7. Productivity and performance - what the research says
  8. Policy and regulation snapshots
  9. Regional contours to watch
  10. Anchor metrics - quick comparison table
  11. Direct answers to common questions
  12. Methodology notes
  13. References
  14. Quick Reference Pack - TLDR, stats, table, FAQ

Definitions - and why measurement matters

“Remote work” can mean different things. The International Labour Organization clarifies four related concepts that are often conflated:

  • Remote work - work performed away from the default workplace
  • Telework - remote work performed using ICT
  • Work at home - any work performed at the worker’s home during the reference period
  • Home-based work - the home is the usual or main place of work

Comparisons mix apples and oranges if you do not separate behavior on a reference day/week from usual arrangements or employer intent in job ads. (International Labour Organization, Labordoc)

How to read remote-work numbers

Use three lenses:

  1. Behavior - time-use or labor-force surveys that ask what people did on a diary day or in the past week. Example: US ATUS shows the share who worked at home on days worked. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  2. Employer intent - job ads offering remote or hybrid. Example: OECD–Indeed postings series. (Indeed Hiring Lab)
  3. Policy or access - employer or worker reports of eligibility. Example: ONS hybrid access and Singapore’s TG-FWAR. (Office for National Statistics, Ministry of Manpower Singapore)

The global picture in 2025

  • Persistence at a new equilibrium - Using harmonized data across 40 countries, average WFH among college-educated employees is steady at roughly one day per week from 2023 through early 2025. Cross-country gaps are large and persistent. (PNAS)
  • Why it matters - Stanford’s SIEPR review distills five facts: enduring WFH, employee preferences still exceeding employer allowances, sizable commute-time savings, and hybrid performing well on balance with context-specific trade-offs for fully remote. (SIEPR)
  • Digital infrastructure is entrenched - In the EU, 52.9 percent of enterprises held remote meetings in 2024 - a signal that hybrid collaboration is baked into operations. (European Commission)

Employer signals: job postings and demand

  • The structural step-up - In 20 OECD countries, the share of postings offering remote or hybrid more than quadrupled from about 2.5 percent to around 11 percent between Jan 2020 and Jan 2023, then stabilized. June 2025 update confirms the plateau. (Indeed Hiring Lab)
  • Demand exceeds supply - LinkedIn’s March 2025 “Remote Work Gap” finds relatively stable demand from applicants for remote roles while availability fluctuates with market conditions. (Economic Graph)
  • US snapshot - LinkedIn’s 2024-2025 reports show US hybrid postings outnumber remote postings, with remote shares in the high single digits. (Economic Graph)

Office utilization: hybrid weeks in the data

  • Average utilization - Kastle’s Back to Work Barometer across 10 major US metros typically shows ~52 percent average weekly occupancy. Tuesdays peak, Fridays trough. (Kastle Systems)
  • Premium buildings outperform - Mid-2025 reads indicate A+ and top-tier towers reaching 90 percent-plus of pre-pandemic on peak days, even while broader averages remain in the low 50s. (Allwork.Space)

People outcomes: engagement, stress, thriving

  • The paradox - Gallup’s 2025 analysis highlights a remote work paradox: fully remote workers report higher engagement, yet are less likely to be thriving than hybrid peers. Leaders must design for connection, clarity, and cadence - not just location. (Gallup.com)
  • Manager factor - Global engagement slipped in 2024 and manager engagement fell, underscoring that leadership quality - not badge taps - drives outcomes. (Gallup.com)

Productivity and performance: what the research says

  • Hybrid tends to travel well - 2025 syntheses from Stanford/SIEPR and the peer-reviewed PNAS article suggest hybrid often preserves or improves performance and reduces attrition in many knowledge roles, while full-time remote can underperform for some collaborative tasks unless intentionally designed. Context matters - task type, seniority, management quality. (SIEPR, PNAS)
  • Policy framing - The World Economic Forum emphasizes a shift from attendance to outcomes and the talent imperative of credible flexibility. (World Economic Forum)

Policy and regulation snapshots

  • Singapore - The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR) took effect 1 December 2024. In 2024, 72.7 percent of firms offered FWAs. (Ministry of Manpower Singapore, The Straits Times)
  • European Union - Enterprise behavior underscores normalized hybrid collaboration - over half of firms held remote meetings in 2024. (European Commission)
  • Measurement standards - ILO guidance remains the reference for separating remote, telework, work at home, and home-based work. (International Labour Organization)

Regional contours to watch

  • North America
    • United States - 32.5 percent of employed people worked at home on days they worked in 2024. By education, 50.0 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher did some work at home on diary days. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
    • Office utilization - low 50s average, Tuesday peaks. (Kastle Systems)
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Comparable high-frequency measures are thinner. Where data exist, use ILO definitions and local statistical office releases to avoid over-reliance on vendor roundups. (International Labour Organization)

Anchor metrics: quick comparison table

Geography or topic Latest datapoint and concept Why it matters
Global advanced economies (college-educated) Average WFH steady at ~1 day per week since 2023 - behavioral days-per-week Confirms post-pandemic stabilization. (PNAS)
United States 32.5 percent worked at home on diary days in 2024 - behavioral diary-day Daily behavior, not “usually remote”. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
United Kingdom 28 percent hybrid in Jan–Mar 2025 - weekly pattern Hybrid now mainstream for more than one in four workers. (Office for National Statistics)
European Union enterprises 52.9 percent held remote meetings in 2024 - enterprise practice Infrastructure for hybrid is embedded. (European Commission)
OECD–Indeed postings (20 countries) Remote or hybrid ads rose from ~2.5 percent to ~11 percent Jan 2020 to Jan 2023 - employer intent Structural jump in advertised flexibility. (Indeed Hiring Lab)
Office utilization - US ~52 percent average weekly occupancy, Tuesday peaks, A+ assets >90 percent on peak days - access-control data Hybrid cadence rather than five days in-office. (Kastle Systems, Allwork.Space)
Australia 36 percent usually WFH in Aug 2024 - usual arrangement Stable elevated baseline. (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
Canada 18.7 percent mostly WFH in May 2024 - usual arrangement Receded from 2021 highs yet elevated vs 2016. (Statistics Canada)
Japan Telework <20 percent implementation, ~7 percent of labor input - implementation + intensity Illustrates regional diversity. (Rieti)
Singapore TG-FWAR in force since Dec 2024 - policy; 72.7 percent of firms offered FWAs in 2024 - employer practice Codifies flexibility and widespread adoption. (Ministry of Manpower Singapore, The Straits Times)

Direct answers to common questions

Is remote work declining in 2025?

Not in the way “end of remote” headlines imply. The best harmonized panel shows stable average WFH since 2023 at ~1 day per week with persistent cross-country gaps. (PNAS)

What share of workers are hybrid today in the UK?

28 percent in Jan–Mar 2025, up since 2022. (Office for National Statistics)

How common are remote or hybrid job ads now?

In 20 OECD countries, the share quadrupled vs 2019 and then plateaued. US and global trackers show remote posting shares in the high single digits in 2025. (Indeed Hiring Lab, Economic Graph)

Are offices “back”?

Keycard data show low-50 percent average occupancy overall, with Tuesday peaks and much higher usage in A+ buildings. Hybrid, not five days in. (Kastle Systems, Allwork.Space)

Does remote raise or lower productivity?

Evidence is mixed. Hybrid frequently preserves or improves outcomes and reduces attrition when designed intentionally. Fully remote can work well for certain tasks and teams but introduces coordination costs if unmanaged. (SIEPR, PNAS)

Why do some sources disagree?

They often measure different concepts - daily behavior vs usual arrangements vs job ads - or focus on different populations. Use consistent definitions. (International Labour Organization)

Methodology notes

  • Concept discipline - We separate diary-day behavior (e.g., ATUS), usual arrangements, and employer intent (postings). We avoid cross-country comparisons that mix concepts. (International Labour Organization)
  • Sampling frames - Global survey benchmarks focus on college-educated workers, which over-represent remote-feasible occupations vs the full workforce. (PNAS)
  • Vendor roundups - We treat community or vendor surveys as directional and anchor claims to official statistics, peer-reviewed research, and high-quality industry datasets.
  • Dates - Wherever the word “latest” appears, we accompany it with a specific release date or survey period.

TLDR

  • Work from home has stabilized at a new normal - roughly one day per week on average among college-educated employees across 40 countries. The gap between countries is large and persistent. (PNAS, Hoover Institution)
  • Hybrid is mainstream in several mature markets. In Great Britain, 28 percent of working adults reported hybrid working in January to March 2025. (Office for National Statistics)
  • Remote or hybrid postings quadrupled from 2019 to early 2023 across 20 OECD countries and then plateaued. In the US, remote postings settle in the high single digits in 2025. (Indeed Hiring Lab, Economic Graph)
  • Office utilization sits around the low 50s on average across the big 10 US metros - with Tuesday peaks and premium buildings far higher. Hybrid rhythms, not five days in. (Kastle Systems, Allwork.Space)
  • Engagement vs wellbeing trade-off: fully remote workers are often most engaged yet less likely to be thriving. Design matters more than mandates. (Gallup.com)

References

Quick Reference Pack: TLDR, stats, table, FAQ

TLDR

  • WFH stabilized at ~1 day per week globally
  • Hybrid is mainstream in GB at 28 percent
  • Remote postings are far above 2019 yet below 2022 peaks
  • Offices show hybrid cadence - low-50 percent average, Tuesday peaks
  • Engagement high for fully remote, thriving higher in hybrid

Stats

  • Global WFH average ~1 day per week since 2023 among college-educated workers. (PNAS)
  • 28 percent hybrid in Great Britain, Jan–Mar 2025. (Office for National Statistics)
  • 2.5 percent to ~11 percent growth in remote or hybrid postings 2020 to 2023 across 20 OECD countries. (Indeed Hiring Lab)
  • US office occupancy ~52 percent average with Tuesday peaks and A+ properties near peak-day 90 percent-plus. (Kastle Systems, Allwork.Space)
  • Gallup remote work paradox highlighted in 2025. (Gallup.com)

Comparison snippet

Measure Latest Source
Global WFH - days per week ~1 (PNAS)
UK hybrid share 28 percent (Office for National Statistics)
OECD–Indeed remote ads ~11 percent (Indeed Hiring Lab)
US office occupancy avg ~52 percent (Kastle Systems)

FAQ (short)

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