The geography of remote work in Europe: an analysis using LFS data

This paper explores the evolution of working-from-home (WFH) across EU regions, focusing on the period before, during and after the COVID-19 outbreak from 2019 to 2022, to understand the distribution and determinants of remote work (RW) adoption at the regional level. This analysis of the EU Labour Force Survey reveals a widespread increase in the prevalence of WFH across EU countries, regions and territorial typologies. While RW rates have slightly receded from their peak at the height of COVID-19 restrictions, they remain markedly higher than pre-pandemic levels nearly everywhere in the EU, reflecting a lasting shift in work practices. Despite this common trend, substantial regional disparities persist across Member States, NUTS regions and territorial typologies (cities, towns and suburbs, rural areas). Main findings show geographic disparities at all levels in the adoption of WFH: the RW rate has been higher in Northern EU countries compared to Southern and Eastern ones. Similarly, capital regions had higher prevalence of WFH than other regions in the same country. Finally, WFH is more common in cities than towns/suburbs and rural areas.