A new report compiled by the Western Development Commission and based on the most recent CSO data shows continuing high rates of working from home in 2022.
The report finds that regions with the lowest rates pre pandemic have shown the greatest increases over the period. All regions experienced a decline in the rates of usually working from home between 2021 and 2022, following the lifting of Government guidelines on working from home. The levels of change varied by region; those with the largest urban centres experiencing the greatest declines – Dublin, Mid-East, Mid-West and South West.
- Nationally, in 2022, 28% of workers said they were usually working from home, down from 37% a year earlier.
- There are significant regional differences. The regions with the highest rates of usually working from home in 2022 are Dublin (39%), followed by the Mid-East region (26%).
- In the West (counties Mayo, Galway and Roscommon) and Border regions 22% were usually working from home in early 2022, while the Midlands had the lowest rate of 20.9%.
- Over the pre – post-pandemic (2018- 2022) period, every region has shown a very significant increase in the share of those usually working from home. This ranges from a doubling of the rate in the Border region to an over six fold increase in the Dublin region.
Tomás Ó Síocháin, Chief Executive of the Western Development Commission said “This research shows that there is regional employment growth across the board but that it is particularly strong in sectors with greater work from home potential,”.
“Sustaining both trends should be a key focus through Government initiatives such as the National Hub Network/connectedhubs.ie to allow those living in rural and regional areas, not only to get a job but build a career as well,”
Read the full report here
