The social distancing measures that have recently been introduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, have forced many people to work from home; for many of them this will be the first time that they have had to do so. However, how common was working from home before these measures came into force?
In 2019, 5.4% of employed persons in the European Union (EU) who were aged 15-64, usually worked from home. This share has remained constant at around 5% throughout the last decade. However, over the same period, the share of those who sometimes worked from home has been rising: from 6.0% in 2009 to 9.0% in 2019.
Over the last decade, the share of self-employed persons who report that they usually work from home has been consistently higher than the share of employees who usually work remotely; the share of self-employed who do this has also been on an upwards trend, rising from 16.2% in 2009 to 19.4% in 2019.