Future of work

This study uses the supplement to the Labour Force Survey and focus on the core-aged employees who usually worked outside the home prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but worked most of their hours at home during the week of February 14 to 20, 2021. Most of these new teleworkers (90%) report being at least as productive at home as they were in their usual place of work. The top three barriers to productivity for 10% of the sample who accomplished less work per hour while working at home include: a lack of interaction with co-workers (22%), having to care for children or other family members (20%) and having to do additional work to get things done (13%). The teleworkers report diverse preferences for telework once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. About 80% indicated that they would like to continue work at least half of their hours from home. If workers’ preferences for telework do not fully align with those of employers, a new form of job mismatch might emerge once the pandemic is over. On the other hand, increased feasibility of telework will likely increase the pool of potential employers for job seekers, and vice-versa. In the end, job mismatch could be significantly reduced in a virtual global labour market.