Remote work in Canada - Statistics and facts
The COVID-19 pandemic has led companies and employees all around the world to adapt to a new normal. The work environment rapidly changed for millions of Canadians as well, who since March 2020 have started working a good part of their hours at home instead of at their workplace. One year later, in March 2021, around five million Canadian employees were working remotely. This accounts for over 30 percent of Canadian workers, which is significantly higher than in 2016, when only four percent of people were working mostly remotely. Remote work, also called "telework," is widely discussed among employers and employees, and the opinions vary considerably based on many factors such as family status, educational level, but also based on the equipment provided by the employer, and teleworkers' skills.
An interesting aspect taken into consideration when talking about remote work is the productivity of the employees. Some argue that working from home causes them to work less due to a lack of interaction with colleagues, while some others believe there is no possibility to keep a work-life balance. On the contrary, for some employees, their productivity has increased and home office has brought a wide range of positive effects. Among Canadian teleworkers, very few believed that their productivity had decreased. On the contrary, the vast majority of teleworkers affirmed to either achieving more per hour or to working as much as in the office. In particular, employees working in financial services in Canada are those that say they have increased their work performance the most among all sectors.
In order to be more productive, or at least as productive as at the workplace, employees must be provided with the right equipment. Overall, employees in Canada are provided with the necessary tools and technology to be successful at their job, according to a recent study. However, the employees who said they did not have the right tools to accomplish their work properly are those from the educational, governmental, and non-profit sectors. Additionally, companies that had given their employees upskilling opportunities saw more positive results, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when compared to companies without upskilling opportunities. For instance, 92 percent of employers that provided upskilling opportunities stated that their leadership has been effective during the pandemic -- almost 20 percentage points more than companies without upskilling chances.
To some degree, the pandemic has forced these changes and adaptations. On the other hand, more remote work could potentially be the "new normal" once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Indeed, when asked which work environment they would prefere after the pandemic, Canadian employees seem to prefer to keep working remotely, via a combination of remote work and working from the office. As mentioned, this preference varies according to different factors. For example, among employees who prefer to work most of their hours at home, there is a slightly higher incidence of people with lower educational achievements, more modest wage tiers, and minor skill levels. Additionally, some other demographic factors influence the ideal work environment, such as marital status, the presence of children, or age. However, as of May 2022, businesses and organizations expected at least three-quarters of Canadians to work exclusively or mostly onsite in the next three months, although this proportion varies by sector, number of employees, age of business or type of area.
An interesting aspect taken into consideration when talking about remote work is the productivity of the employees. Some argue that working from home causes them to work less due to a lack of interaction with colleagues, while some others believe there is no possibility to keep a work-life balance. On the contrary, for some employees, their productivity has increased and home office has brought a wide range of positive effects. Among Canadian teleworkers, very few believed that their productivity had decreased. On the contrary, the vast majority of teleworkers affirmed to either achieving more per hour or to working as much as in the office. In particular, employees working in financial services in Canada are those that say they have increased their work performance the most among all sectors.
In order to be more productive, or at least as productive as at the workplace, employees must be provided with the right equipment. Overall, employees in Canada are provided with the necessary tools and technology to be successful at their job, according to a recent study. However, the employees who said they did not have the right tools to accomplish their work properly are those from the educational, governmental, and non-profit sectors. Additionally, companies that had given their employees upskilling opportunities saw more positive results, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when compared to companies without upskilling opportunities. For instance, 92 percent of employers that provided upskilling opportunities stated that their leadership has been effective during the pandemic -- almost 20 percentage points more than companies without upskilling chances.
To some degree, the pandemic has forced these changes and adaptations. On the other hand, more remote work could potentially be the "new normal" once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Indeed, when asked which work environment they would prefere after the pandemic, Canadian employees seem to prefer to keep working remotely, via a combination of remote work and working from the office. As mentioned, this preference varies according to different factors. For example, among employees who prefer to work most of their hours at home, there is a slightly higher incidence of people with lower educational achievements, more modest wage tiers, and minor skill levels. Additionally, some other demographic factors influence the ideal work environment, such as marital status, the presence of children, or age. However, as of May 2022, businesses and organizations expected at least three-quarters of Canadians to work exclusively or mostly onsite in the next three months, although this proportion varies by sector, number of employees, age of business or type of area.
