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16 Interesting Working from Home Statistics in Canada: 2023 Update
Jeff Weishaupt
Last updated:
Note:This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.
Canada is one of many countries that got severely affected by COVID-19. Just as the pandemic started, millions of Canadians began working from home. However, some were still reluctant to do so. Many workplaces also implemented the hybrid working model, which includes working from home and physical offices.
Considering the government-imposed precautionary measures, working from home became widely accepted among Canadians. But what is the work-from-home situation in Canada this year? Are people still working from home or returning to offices? What do people expect from their employers in the future?
This post will list 16 working-from-home statistics and trends in Canada this year. We will also discuss the mental well-being and productivity of the Canadian workforce associated with the work-from-home model.
25% of full-time employees in Canada were working from home by December 2021.
In December 2021,10% of part-time employees were working from home in Canada.
The Canadian educational and technical services had the highest work-from-home rate, with 80.6% and 76.8% of people working from home, respectively, in May 2020.
The Canadian construction and manufacturing industries had the lowest work-from-home rate, with 13.3% and 20.3% of people working from respectively, in May 2020.
26% of core-age employees worked from home in Canada as of December 2021.
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General Working from Home Statistics in Canada
1. In May 2021, approximately 20% of the Canadian workforce worked from home.
(Statista)
The number of work-from-home employees in Canada significantly increased after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, only 4% of Canadian employees worked from home. That’s a major increase over 5 years. However, this percentage significantly decreased in 2021 compared to April 2020, when 40% of Canadian employees worked from home. Currently, 5 million people are working from home in Canada.
2. Around 40% of the total jobs in Canada can be performed remotely.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: Anna Shvets, Pexels
Not all types of jobs can be performed from home. An estimated 40% or one-third of the jobs in Canada can easily be performed from home. These jobs don’t require in-person presence in physical offices.
3. 90% of Canadians feel equally or more productive when working from home.
(Huddle)
A significant majority of Canadian workers reported increased or similar productivity levels when working from home compared to in-office work. Out of 90% of these employees, 41.2% experienced an increase, while the remaining reported equal productivity levels. Employees who experienced a decrease in productivity were mainly due to inadequate work environment, poor internet connection, less social interaction, and childcare issues.
Working from Home Statistics in Canada During the Pandemic
4. The percentage of employees working from home in Canada decreased significantly to 22% by December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: Pixabay
As the pandemic started, almost 37% of Canadian employees shifted to work from home as of May 2020. However, as the virus became inefficient, this percentage fell significantly to 22% by December 2021. This means many Canadian employees returned to physical offices in 2021.
5. Around 43% of female employees in Canada were working from home in May 2020, compared to 31% of males.
(Statistics Canada)
The percentage of female work-from-home employees was considerably greater than males during the pandemic. This trend remained the same from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2021. However, the number of employees working from home decreased in 2021. In December 2021, 24% of female and 21% of male employees worked from home in Canada.
6. 25% of full-time employees in Canada were working from home by December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: Artem Podrez, Pexels
The percentage of full-time employees working from home in Canada also significantly decreased from the start of the end of the pandemic. For instance, in 2020, 39% of employees worked from home, which was reduced to 25% by December 2021.
7. In December 2021,10% of part-time employees were working from home in Canada.
(Statistics Canada)
The number of part-time employees working from home in Canada also decreased significantly by the end of 2021. In May 2020, 22% of part-time employees were home-employed, which reduced to only 10% in 2021.
8. The Canadian educational and technical services had the highest work-from-home rate, with 80.6% and 76.8% of people working from home, respectively, in May 2020.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: Pixabay
The ratio of people working from home in Canada varies widely depending on the industries. Industries with the highest rate of work from home were usually professional services, such as financial, educational, technical, informational, cultural and recreational, and public administration services. In these industries, employees don’t have to be physically present in the offices.
However, by December 2021, the number of employees working from home decreased in most professional services industries. For instance, the 80.6% work from home employees in educational services reduced to just 17.2%. Similarly, 76.8% work from home employees in technical services reduced to 57.3% by December 2021.
9. The Canadian construction and manufacturing industries had the lowest work-from-home rate, with 13.3% and 20.3% of people working from respectively, in May 2020.
(Statistics Canada)
The number of people working from home has been significantly lower in industries requiring more interpersonal contact. These include food services, retail trade, manufacturing, construction, and transportation services. These are the sectors that include the use of large machinery. However, they do include a limited room for working from home.
By December 2021, the percentage of work-from-home employees in the construction and manufacturing industries decreased significantly. For instance, only 5.1% (from 13.3% in 2020) were working from home in construction, and 13.5% (from 20.3% in 2020) were working from home in the manufacturing industry in Canada.
Work from Home Statistics in Canada by Age
10. 26% of core-age employees worked from home in Canada as of December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: Pixabay
Core-age employees made up nearly 50% of the total work-from-home employees in Canada in May 2020. However, the percentage significantly decreased by 2021, with only 26% working from home in December.
11. Over 8% of Canadian youth were working from home in December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
Younger Canadian employees also began working from home with the start of the pandemic. Around 16% of youth worked from home in May 2020, which reduced to just 8% in December 2021.
12. Roughly 20% of older employees worked from home in Canada as of December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: lukasbieri, Pixabay
The percentage of older work-from-home employees in Canada was greater than the younger ones. For instance, only 28% of older employees worked from home in May 2020, which was reduced to just 20% in December 2021.
Work from Home Statistics in Canada by Qualification
13. 10% of Canadian employees with a high school diploma were working from home in December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
In Canada, it was observed that the higher the worker’s level of education, the more likely they prefer working from home. In the early days of the pandemic, only 17% of Canadians with a high school diploma worked from home. This percentage was reduced to 10% in December 2021.
14. Less than 40% of employees with college or university degrees worked from home in Canada in December 2021.
(Statistics Canada)
Image Credit: Pixabay
Canadian employees with college or university degrees worked most from home. The rate was 60% early in the pandemic, which was then reduced to 40% by December 2021.
Work from Home Statistics in Canada in the Future
15. 80% of employees who started working from home were willing to work half of their hours from home even after the pandemic.
(Statistics Canada)
An overwhelming majority of employees favoring working from home even after the pandemic shows that the hybrid work-from-home model is the need of the hour. The hybrid workplace model has almost become the new normal for Canadian employees and employers. Working from home also brings less stress and better well-being for many workers.
16. 25% of all professional jobs in North America are expected to become remote this year.
(Ladders)
Image Credit: TippaPatt, Shutterstock
According to the researchers at Ladders, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will become remote by 2022. Not only that, but they also projected that remote employment would keep increasing throughout 2023. This means employees in Canada and other countries in North America are fully prepared to welcome remote opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions related to working-from-home statistics and trends in Canada:
How Many Canadians Work from Home?
As of May 2021, around 5 million Canadians worked from home, making up 20% of the total workforce. This was a major increase during the pandemic. Only 4% of Canadian employees worked from home in 2016.
Are Canadian Employees More Productive Working from Home?
A significant majority of Canadian employees reported increased or equal productivity when working from home compared to physical offices. Almost 90% of employees were happy with their productivity, with 41.2% claiming they had been more productive.
Image Credit: Indy Edge, Shutterstock
What Education Do Most Canadians Working from Home Have?
Almost 58% of Canadians with a bachelor’s degree were found working from home, compared to 7% without a high school diploma. Many jobs in Canada can’t function without person-to-person interaction, which is why most employees work from physical offices.
How Many Jobs in Canada Can Be Performed at Home?
According to an estimation, 40% of all Canadian jobs can be effectively performed from home. However, some jobs do require physical presence. Also, the ability to work remotely differs from industry to industry.
For instance, services industries have a large scope for employees working from home, while industries that include machinery work have a limited scope for remote working.
Image Credit: Jumpstory
Is Working from Home Good for the Country?
Working from home is good for Canada’s climate and environment. It brings less traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Also, a significant number of people will only be commuting occasionally. This means less expense on commuting and more focus on work.
Conclusion
From the above working-from-home statistics and trends in Canada, we can conclude that many Canadian employees shifted to work from home, considering the safety concerns. However, as the restrictions eased, many returned to physical offices.
On the other hand, many employers adopted the hybrid model that divides work between home and physical office. With this workplace model, many employees were found satisfied and wanted to continue it in the future.
Jeff is a tech professional by day, writer by night. He's had the privilege of leading software teams for startups to the Fortune 100 over the past two decades. He currently works in the data privacy space. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys browsing the latest real estate deals on Zillow, tinkering around the house with various projects, and growing herbs in the garden. His latest hobby is learning new dinner recipes for the family and his current favorite is cooking filet mignon sous vide style.
Jeff Weishaupt
