Post pandemic, 60pc of managers working from home

Latest ABS data reveals six in 10 managers and professionals are working from home regularly, compared to one in five in other work categories.

The latest data from August this year shows 37 per cent of Australians are working from home regularly.

Six in 10 managers and professionals are working from home regularly, compared to one in five in other work categories, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows.

The latest data from August this year shows 37 per cent of Australians are working from home regularly, down from the Covid period of 40 per cent in August 2021, but five percentage points above pre-pandemic levels in 2019. ABS head of labour statistics Bjorn Jarvis said before the pandemic, the percentage of workers regularly working from home steadily increased by about one percentage point every two years, before jumping by about eight percentage points between August 2019 and August 2021 when Covid restrictions were imposed.

Mr Jarvis said while there had been a large shift in people working from home, “there haven’t been similarly large changes in other arrangements like working flexible hours”.

“Apart from working from home, most other arrangements have generally followed pre-pandemic trends,” he said.

Sixty per cent of managers and professionals were working from home regularly in August, down four percentage points from 2021.

People who worked from home were more likely to work paid or unpaid overtime – 45 per cent compared to 24 per cent who did not work from home. Twenty-three per cent of people working from home also preferred to work fewer hours, compared to 12 per cent who did not work from home.

According to the ABS, there were 2.7 million casual employees in August, representing 22.4 per cent of all employees, down from 23.7 per cent in August 2022.

However, the 2023 rate of casual employment remains above the 20.6 per cent recorded in May 2020, which was the lowest rate since August 1991.

The ABS said the latest figure reflected much stronger growth in non-casual employment in recent years, in addition to the more pronounced impacts on casual employment during the pandemic.

Casual employees were defined as employees without leave entitlements. The ABS said it was important to note that most casual employees can work or expect to work in their jobs for 12 months or longer and therefore casual employment should not be assumed to be temporary employment.

The data shows that casual ­employees, as well as being more likely to work part-time hours, are more likely to work in lower paid occupations and industries.

“In August 2023, most employees (92 per cent) who earned the median wage or more were entitled to paid sick leave or paid holiday leave. Over 50 per cent of these higher earning employees also had access to paid parental leave,” Mr Jarvis said.

“Of the lowest 25 per cent of earners, 44 per cent had access to paid sick leave or paid holiday leave, and 21 per cent were entitled to paid parental leave.”

ABS analysis of employee earnings showed half of all employees earned at least $1300 a week in August, an extra $52 a week, or 4.2 per cent more, than a year earlier.

Median weekly earnings were $1500 for men and $1150 for women.