Germany’s working-from-home culture came suddenly and not by choice, but a recent report from the Ifo Institute suggests that it is here to stay for the long term.

Working from home is the new normal in Germany

For those employed in sectors where working from home is possible, the trend is here to stay, figures from the Ifo Institute in Munich have suggested.

According to the institute, 24,1 percent of employees in Germany worked from home at least partially in February 2024. “The proportion has been almost constant for two years,” the Ifo said, implying that the shift into “home office” is here to stick around for the long term, even though coronavirus restrictions have long been lifted.

Speaking on the results of the survey, Ifo economist Jean-Victor Alipour said that working from home had “been firmly established in Germany”.

Working from home frequency differs with company size

The Ifo’s research also revealed that the frequency with which people in Germany work from home differs greatly depending on how large the company they work for is.

In small to medium-sized businesses, only 20,5 percent of employees reported that they regularly work from home, compared to 32,1 percent of workers in large companies.

Figures also differed depending on the kind of work that people are doing. 34,1 percent of service employees said that they regularly worked from home, compared to 16 percent of those working in industry, 12,2 percent in trade and 5,4 percent in the construction industry.

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