End of remote work: Some high-profile companies really want workers in offices

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Millions fewer Americans worked remotely last year, according to a new survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The data shows the work world returning to a new normal, where there is some working from home — more than in the pre-COVID era — but less than at the height of the Zoom and sweatpants moment.

The share of establishments with employees rarely or never working remotely rose to 72.5%, up from 60.1% the year before.

Establishments with employees working remotely some or all of the time declined to 28% last year, down from 40% in 2021.
White-collar industries still have a large share of folks working from home. In the information sector (which includes tech and media companies), 67% of firms had people working from home some or all the time last year.
Financial services saw a big drop from 2021 to 2022 — from 55% to 33%.
An establishment is defined as a single location where one predominant business activity is conducted. These surveys can capture companies of all sizes.

The survey was conducted in August and September of last year, while the 2021 survey went out from July to September.
The Wall Street Journal, reporting on the data, suggested the remote era was fading away.

But before the pandemic, only about 5% of workers were remote, according to data from Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economics professor who’s been tracking the trend for years.

How much farther the lines on the chart above fall this year. Some high-profile companies really want workers in offices—and any softness in the economy or uncertainty in the job market gives executives far more leverage to get them there.