Table 6 Summary of recent publications on changing WFH patterns in the United States

United States (Javadinasr et al. 2022)

The data collected in the United States between April 2020 and May 2021 highlights the shifts in work and commuting patterns in the US in the post-Covid world. Before the pandemic, 16% of the participants WFH more than once per week and 71.9% commuted to work with their private vehicle. After the pandemic, the percentage of participants who frequently WFH rose to 34%, while the percentage of participants that used their private vehicle to commute to work dropped to 65.6%. Moreover, the mean number of commute days dropped from 4.12 pre-Covid, to 3.42 after the pandemic. The study showcases substantial expansion of frequent telecommuters, who WFH more than once per week.

United States (Kong et al. 2022)

The authors study survey data from Washington to underline how people are gradually shifting from traditional patterns to remote work. The results show that 57% of the participants want to WFH at least one day per week after the pandemic, and 11% want to WFH every weekday. Before Covid, only 27% among them WFH at least one day per week. The biggest increase is observed among the participants who wish to WFH 1-2 days per week, accounting for 17% before the pandemic and 32% after it. This demonstrates that many people have discovered the remote working style during the pandemic (where 82% among the participants WFH at least once per week) and wish to pursue it.

United States (Tan et al. 2023)

This study explores the travel behaviours of tech workers in the San Francisco Bay area, revealing a pronounced shift towards greater remote working and fewer commuting journeys. During the survey period, from November 2021 to March 2022, a mere 3% of participants reported commuting to an office on a daily basis, while 66% were engaging in work entirely from home, and 31% adopted a hybrid working model. This represents a near reversal to pre-pandemic practices, where 74% of respondents indicated they commuted daily and only 3% worked entirely remotely. Furthermore, 47% anticipate maintaining a hybrid work schedule, with 2–3 days of remote work per week, over the long term. The study additionally observed a decline in non-commuting trips for shopping purposes, largely attributed to the growing preference for online grocery shopping and delivery services.

United States (Barrero et al. 2021)

The study surveyed over 30,000 Americans across multiple phases to determine the likelihood of persisting WFH arrangements and the reasons behind this trend. The findings suggest that 20% of all full workdays will be conducted from home following the pandemic, a significant increase from the pre-pandemic figure of just 5%. Five key factors contributing to this notable shift were identifies: better-than-expected WFH experiences, new investments in both physical and human capital facilitating WFH, a substantially reduced stigma surrounding WFH, ongoing concerns about crowded spaces and the risk of contagion, and a surge in technological innovations during the pandemic that support WFH.