What Can It Tell Us About the Future of Work?
The abrupt transition to remote work for many workers at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to varying predictions on telework’s lasting impact—from those who declared that downtowns would never be the same, to others who said the experience would merely be a blip on the radar. As usual, the reality lies somewhere in-between the two extremes. Now in the third year of the pandemic, data show that telework has indeed created a semipermanent change in the working habits of many Americans. This policy brief will provide an overview of the data available from the US Census Bureau (as well as select other sources), highlight patterns across demographic groups and regions, and discuss potential policy implications and future topics for exploration.