As remote work grows, the demographic of from-home workers is becoming younger, more diverse, better educated, and more likely to relocate.
Key Details
- The demographic of remote workers closely resembles the demographics of commuters before the pandemic, Bloomberg reports.
- In 2019, around 5.7% of the U.S. labor force worked from home. Now about 17.9% work remotely.
- As commuters have declined, the number of remote workers has increased. The demographics of both groups generally match up.
- Since 2019, the remote-work workforce has gotten younger, more diverse, and better educated, Bloomberg reports.
Why it’s news
As the commuter workforce disappears, understanding the demographics of the remote workforce can help analysts understand where workers are moving—and how best to serve them.
More remote workers are between the ages of 25 and 34. This age group grew from 16% to 23% of the overall remote workforce from 2019 to 2021. The number of black and Asian workers also increased, reaching 9.5% and 9.6%, respectively. The number of Hispanic workers remained relatively unchanged, Bloomberg reports.
College-educated workers are also more likely to have remote work positions. In 2019, about half of remote workers had a college education. Now nearly two-thirds have higher education.
Certain industries have seen more significant growth in remote-work positions. Information saw the greatest increase, with 42% of remote jobs. Finance, insurance, and real estate jumped from 10.8% to 38.4%. Around 36.5% of professional and administrative services positions are now remote, Bloomberg reports.
Industries like agriculture, mining, entertainment, food services, and the armed forces saw little to no growth in remote work.
Nearly every income level saw some increases in remote jobs, but high-income brackets were most likely to have remote positions. Available remote jobs doubled for low-income earners but tripled for high-income earners.
The region also significantly affected the number of available remote jobs. The West and Northeast were most likely to have openings. The South and Midwest had the fewest opportunities. Tech-heavy areas like San Francisco and San Jose had the greatest number of remote-work opportunities.
