Home office & remote work: Where is the trend heading?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, working from home and remote work have been trending. Now, however, the COVID regulations have been lifted and the pandemic is officially over—what impact does this have on the situation of employees? A study by the ifo Institute has analyzed how the number of people working from home is currently developing. One key finding is that the number of employees who continue to work from home is hardly declining: in April, 24% of Germans worked from home – only 0.7% less than in February. Certain industries were particularly well represented: 70% of computer service providers and management consultants work remotely, while in the advertising and market research industry, the figure was 57% – a threefold increase compared to 2019. Of course, there are still sectors where on-site presence is usually required and the proportion of people working from home is correspondingly low: catering and accommodation, for example, still have a very low proportion of employees who work from home. We were also interested in these topics:

• AI in the world of work I: A new study by the German Bundestag has investigated possible applications for ChatGPT and similar technologies in various sectors. The taz knows which areas are particularly suitable for AI use and how it can be used to counteract the shortage of skilled workers.

• AI in the world of work II: ChatGPT can simplify human work by formulating texts – but what are the risks of using it in a business context? A labor lawyer provides information in an interview with Spiegel.

• Labor Day: At a DGB rally on May 1, Chancellor Scholz called on companies to create more training places. He also spoke about immigration, collective bargaining agreements, and unemployment, writes Die Zeit.

• Four-day week: In its current round of collective bargaining, IG Metall is insisting on the option of working one day less. n-tv has summarized how employers and politicians are responding to this.

• Labor market: The number of vacancies at DAX-listed companies has risen again and now stands at around 30,000. The portal Indeed has looked at which employees have particularly good chances.

• Gender pay gap: Newly hired women receive on average around 15% less salary than their male colleagues. New research now shows that this is also due to application behavior, as women often apply for lower-paying jobs, writes Zeit.

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