- The share of employees working from home increased in 2025 from the year before, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Workers with a bachelor's degree or higher are more likely to work remotely, at least sometimes, the data shows.
- Even as employers become stricter about returning to the office, workers continue to value flexibility over the traditional nine-to-five schedule, other research also finds.
Return-to-office mandates gained steam in 2025, and yet more employees are working from home.
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.<small>Source: CNBC</small>
Business
More than one-third of employees still work from home, new research shows
CNBC
July 01, 2026
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