Working from Home during the Pandemic and the Post-Crisis Implications

Working from home is playing a central role in the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated social distancing measures. Calculations by the ifo Institute show that about 56 percent of all employees in Germany theoretically have access to a home office. Less than half of this potential was utilized prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Low-income earners and employees with a low level of qualification are much less likely to work from home. A higher potential for working from home is also negatively associated with regional reports of short-time work and regional infection rates. However, a complete shift to working from home cannot be a universal model in the near future. Both companies and employees will prefer a hybrid model of working on site and from home.