Working from Home Declines in Germany
Slightly fewer German employees worked from home in June than in May, even though the obligation to do so expired only at the end of June. This is according to an ifo Institute survey, which found that the number of employees who worked from home at least part of the time fell from 31.0 percent to 28.4 percent in June. “Despite the fact that the obligation to work from home was still in force until the end of June, we’re already seeing a slight decline,” says Jean-Victor Alipour, an ifo Institute expert on working from home. “As infection rates subside and vaccination rates increase, employees are returning to work on-site.”
The decline was greatest among service providers, from 41.5 percent to 38.5 percent. However, the rate of working from home remains above average in this sector.
In the case of IT service providers, most employees worked from home at least part of the time; there was just a slight decline from 80.4 percent to 76.0 percent in June. The decline is greatest in the film industry, where the rate fell from 54.8 percent to 44.4 percent.
In manufacturing, an above-average number of employees in the clothing industry worked from home. However, there was a significant decline here: the rate fell from 37.5 percent in May to 32.8 percent. Computer manufacturers also saw many employees return to work on-site, with the proportion working from home falling from 32.1 percent to 27.1 percent.
The ifo Podcast “Economy for All” has more information about working from home.
ifo Podcast “Economy for All”
What moves the economy? The ifo Institute podcast focuses on the most important developments in economic research and economic policy. Every month, we talk to our experts about current events in business, science, and politics and provide background information on the ifo Institute’s latest research findings.
