Work-from-home rates fall but skill shortages may delay full return to Australian offices

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 03:47:16 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/14/australia-work-from-home-office-rates-numbers-declining-why-skills-shortage>

"The number of people regularly working from home has declined – but remains
higher than pre-pandemic levels – as many bosses force a staggered return to
the office.

Some workplace experts believe the rate may hold steady in 2024, due to ongoing
demand for better work-life balance and a skills shortage in some industries
that may give workers more negotiating power.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that 37% of people regularly
worked from home during August, when it conducts an annual survey on working
conditions.

The ABS’s head of labour statistics, Bjorn Jarvis, said that was less than the
40% reported in August 2021 – when parts of the country were in lockdown – but
still 5% above pre-pandemic levels.

“[This shows] that many of the changes in behaviour and working arrangements
have continued beyond the pandemic,” Jarvis said on this week. “Prior to the
pandemic, the percentage of employed people working from home regularly had
been steadily increasing by around a percentage point every two years.”

Dr Connie Zheng, the co-director of the University of South Australia’s Centre
for Workplace Excellence, also expected working from home to continue in 2024
despite calls for staff to return full-time."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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