The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released the results of a new labor survey on Thursday, attesting that many of the remote work opportunities that opened up during the pandemic have remained and are expected to remain into the future, even as skeptics question whether remote employees are as productive as in-person professional workers.
The Fed’s New York branch published an analysis of the results of its August regional business surveys, particularly focusing on the questions concerning remote work.
The survey followed up on a similar study conducted last summer, which found that service firms saw more than 30 percent of work conducted remotely, as of June 2021. This month saw that number decline to just over 20 percent—a major decline, but still markedly higher than pre-pandemic levels, when less than 10 percent of work was done remotely. The authors of this analysis concluded that remote work would decline only slightly by next summer, as many of the fears and restrictions which had driven remote work during the pandemic have subsided, even as remote work remains strong and robust….