The pandemic began around this time 6 years ago, and before that, less than 1 in 8 people in the UK worked remotely. Everyone went to work and productivity was based on each worker’s ability to be in an office from 9-5.
Of course, the pandemic changed that culture. As we locked down, we were to stay indoors and that introduced a new way of working (at least new for majority of workers) and that was: remote and hybrid work.
Everyone thought this would be a temporary thing, but it actually became the norm for quite a while. Now, 6 years later, it is still the norm in the UK. The Office for National Statistics reports between 40% and 44% of working adults in the UK who engage in remote or hybrid work. Around 14% work fully remotely and roughly 26% to 28% split their week between home and the office.
The UK Remote Work Report 2026 by MyPerfectCV also says around 44% of working adults are working out of office.
Internationally, the UK is somewhere at the top when it comes to the amount of remote workers, and Stanford University researchers found that UK employees average 1.8 remote workdays per week. Globally, this puts the UK as the second highest, with Canada leading at 1.9 days average.
For context, the global average is 1.3 days. And in Europe, the UK is at the top.
The city in the UK with the most remote workers is London. Around 51% of workers in London are remote or hybrid, according to the data. Could this be because of the rising property rates in the capital?
The South East follows at 47%. These regions have a high concentration of knowledge based jobs, which are easier to carry out away from an office.
Is Remote Work Good For Productivity And Careers?
This is the ongoing back and forth employees and employers never seem to see eye to eye on. Surveys show 62% to 67% of employees believe they are more productive when working remotely. Employers are less convinced with only around 39% agreeing that their staff are more productive at home.
The results say different things, for example, a UK call centre recorded a 10.5% increase in productivity when staff worked from home, helped by shorter and more focused calls. But Cambridge Judge Business School found a 7.4% increase in meetings and a rise in what it described as “low quality meetings”, where people multitask or disengage.
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When it comes to career progression, things like proximity bias in hybrid settings have been brought up as issues. According to the research, 94% of business leaders say they notice in office employee contributions more than remote ones. A 2024 study found hybrid workers were 7.7% less likely to be promoted and 7.1% less likely to receive pay rises, even when performance matched colleagues in the office.
Even when it comes to who gets access, higher earners and degree holders stand a higher chance of getting the remote or hybrid roles. Workers earning £50k or more are much more likely to have hybrid or fully remote roles than lower income groups. Knowledge based sectors such as IT and professional services have near universal access, whereas retail and hospitality roles offer very little flexibility.
So is remote work actually what helps attract skilled workers? Yes. But at the cost of creating an inequality gap within the workforce.
Does Remote Work Make More Financial Sense?
A 2024 Bionic study estimated the average daily commute costs £19.10. Working from home costs £9.41 a day. That leaves a potential saving of £9.69 per day, or about £2,400 a year for a full time employee.
But remember, staying home means a higher utility bill. You’re using up more energy by being home more often. In fact, about 86% of remote workers report higher bills there. They report remote work costing £47.07 per week, all from energy, water and broadband use.
Research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research found official data overstates London’s output by about £8 billion because it counts activity where firms are registered, not where staff live. An estimated £3 billion a year in retail and hospitality spending has moved from city centres to suburban and residential areas. When output is adjusted to where people live, the South East gains about £4 billion.
Hybrid work now feels like the settled middle ground for many businesses. According to the data, 74% of UK CEOs say a full return to the office is not a priority. Between 43% and 48% of professionals say they would consider quitting if forced back full time.
So, to answer the question in short: remote work is still relevant, and it seems like it is here to stay. It’ll be up to each company to decide how the balance between productivity and efficiency will work.
