9% vs 37%
Remote roles made up 9% of US paid job postings on LinkedIn in March 2026 but drew 37% of all applications.
LinkedIn Economic Graph, March 2026
How many people work remotely, where it is most common, how employers are hiring for it, and which laws apply when they do. Official statistics from 27 sources, plus our own review of remote work legislation in 35 countries.
Three come from our own review of remote work law in 35 countries, the rest from official statistics and peer-reviewed research.
Remote roles made up 9% of US paid job postings on LinkedIn in March 2026 but drew 37% of all applications.
In the Netherlands 52.3% of employed people work from home at least sometimes. In Italy it is 8.2%.
Working from home two days a week cut resignations by a third in a randomised trial of 1,612 employees, with no loss of performance.
Only five of the 35 countries we reviewed give every employee a statutory right to request remote work.
Six countries require employers to pay home-office costs: France, Spain, Czechia, Poland, Mexico and Colombia.
Nine countries, including the US, India and Singapore, have none of the five remote work rules we track.
The most important figures in this report in one list, grouped by topic, each with its source and the period it covers.
21.9% of US workers teleworked or worked from home for pay in September 2026, or 34.7 million people.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sept 2026About 26% of all paid workdays in the US are worked from home.
Stanford WFH Research (SWAA), Sept 202640.6% of US workers with an advanced degree telework, against 8.3% of high school graduates.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sept 202623.0% of employed people in the EU worked from home at least sometimes in 2025. 8.8% usually did.
Eurostat, 202536% of employed Australians usually work from home.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Aug 20251.23 days a week is the average time full-time college graduates work from home across the countries surveyed.
Aksoy, Barrero, Bloom et al., PNAS, 202554% of remote-capable US employees work hybrid, 25% are fully remote and 21% are on-site.
Gallup, Aug 202634% of hybrid workers go to the office four days a week, up from 23% in 2023.
Owl Labs, 202555.4% was average US office occupancy against pre-pandemic levels in late September 2026.
Kastle Systems, Sept 2026One-third fewer resignations when employees worked from home two days a week, with no loss of performance.
Bloom, Han and Liang, Nature, 202483% of CEOs expected a full return to the office within three years.
KPMG CEO Outlook, 202487% of new US job postings were fully on-site in Q2 2026. 10% were hybrid and 3% fully remote.
Robert Half, Q2 20269% vs 37% Remote roles were 9% of US paid postings on LinkedIn but drew 37% of applications.
LinkedIn Economic Graph, Mar 202618.5 million Americans are digital nomads, and 11.2 million of them hold a traditional job.
MBO Partners, 20255 of 35 countries give every employee a statutory right to request remote work.
EmployerRecords research, Oct 20264 of 35 countries give every employee a right to disconnect.
EmployerRecords research, Oct 20266 of 35 countries require employers to pay remote workers’ home-office costs.
EmployerRecords research, Oct 202611 of 35 countries offer a dedicated digital nomad visa.
EmployerRecords research, Oct 202650% of working time over 12 months: below this, a home office is generally not a permanent establishment.
OECD Model Tax Convention, Nov 202530% of 63 jurisdictions report tax authorities paying more attention to remote-work PE risk.
KPMG, May 2026The change since 2023 is not fewer hybrid workers. It is more office days per hybrid worker, and fewer remote jobs being advertised.
Both are right. Gallup counts only people whose job can be done remotely, so its hybrid share is about twice SWAA’s, which counts every full-time employee.
Source: Owl Labs, State of Hybrid Work 2025
of pre-pandemic levels, 10-city average, week to 30 Sept 2026
Source: Kastle Systems Back to Work Barometer
Full-time office · structured hybrid · fully flexible. Firms with a minimum ask for 2.8 days a week.
Source: Flex Index, Q3 2025 (latest published)
resignations when 1,612 employees worked from home two days a week, with no loss of performance or promotion.
Source: Bloom, Han and Liang, Nature, 2024
The Netherlands and the Nordics lead, southern and eastern Europe trail. Outside Europe, each statistics office measures remote work its own way, so we show those figures separately rather than rank them.
Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey (lfsa_ehomp), updated 30 June 2026. Total is usually plus sometimes.
Each uses its own definition, so read them side by side, not as a ranking.
Full-time, college-educated workers, Nov 2024 to Feb 2025
Source: Global Survey of Working Arrangements (Aksoy, Barrero, Bloom et al.), PNAS 2025; IGC 2026
Employers advertise fewer remote and hybrid roles than at any point since 2020, but remote listings still pull a far larger share of applicants than their share of postings.
Source: Robert Half analysis of US job postings, Q2 2026
Source: Robert Half. Bars on a 0 to 20% scale.
Remote roles on LinkedIn, US paid postings, March 2026
of job postings were remote
of applications went to them
Source: LinkedIn Economic Graph, US Monthly Insights, April 2026
We reviewed legislation, labour codes and immigration rules in the 35 countries where we rank employer of record providers. The legal source for every country is listed in the methodology section.
have a dedicated telework law
Mostly Europe and Latin America
give every employee a right to request remote work
11 more cover only parents, carers or some sectors
give every employee a right to disconnect
6 more apply it to some employers or workers
make employers pay home-office costs
8 more require equipment or a written agreement
offer a digital nomad visa
All require income from abroad
have none of the five rules
Including the US, India and Singapore
| Country | Telework law | Right to request | Right to disconnect | Home-office costs | Digital nomad visa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United KingdomEurope | No | YesFrom day one | No | NoTax-free allowance optional | No |
| IrelandEurope | No | YesAll employees | LimitedCode of practice | NoTax-free allowance optional | No |
| GermanyEurope | No | No | No | PartialFixed telework stations | No |
| NetherlandsEurope | No | Yes26 weeks, 10+ staff | No | PartialErgonomic workstation | No |
| BelgiumEurope | YesLaw of 5 March 2017 | LimitedParents and carers | LimitedEmployers with 20+ staff | PartialStructural telework | No |
| FranceEurope | YesLabour Code L1222-9 | YesRefusal needs reasons | YesSince 2016 | Yes | No |
| SpainEurope | YesLey 10/2021 | LimitedParents and carers | YesAll employees | Yes | Yes200% of minimum wage |
| ItalyEurope | YesLaw 81/2017 | LimitedPriority groups | LimitedSmart workers | PartialSet in agreement | YesAbout EUR 27,000 a year |
| AustriaEurope | YesTelework Act 2025 | No | No | PartialDigital equipment | No |
| CzechiaEurope | YesLabour Code s.317 | LimitedSpecific groups | No | YesFlat rate per hour | Yes1.5x the average wage |
| PolandEurope | YesLabour Code, 2023 | LimitedParents and carers | No | Yes | No |
| DenmarkEurope | No | LimitedParents and carers | No | PartialScreen equipment | No |
| FinlandEurope | No | NoPart-time requests only | No | No | No |
| NorwayEurope | YesHome work regulation 2002 | NoHours only | No | PartialSet in agreement | No |
| GeorgiaEurope | No | No | No | No | NoC5 visa adopted 2026, not live |
| IsraelMiddle East and Africa | No | No | No | No | No |
| United Arab EmiratesMiddle East and Africa | YesBasic, Decree-Law 33/2021 | No | No | No | YesUSD 3,500 a month |
| United StatesAmericas | No | No | No | NoCalifornia and Illinois require | No |
| CanadaAmericas | No | LimitedFederally regulated | LimitedOntario policy duty | No | No |
| MexicoAmericas | YesLabour Law Ch. XII Bis | No | LimitedTeleworkers | YesIncl. power and internet | No |
| BrazilAmericas | YesCLT Arts. 75-A to F | LimitedDisabled staff, parents | No | PartialSet in contract | YesUSD 1,500 a month |
| ColombiaAmericas | YesLaw 1221 and 2121 | LimitedCarers | YesLaw 2191 of 2022 | Yes | Yes3x monthly minimum wage |
| IndiaAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | No |
| PhilippinesAsia Pacific | YesRA 11165 of 2018 | No | No | No | NoAuthorised, not yet live |
| SingaporeAsia Pacific | No | NoGuidelines only | No | No | No |
| IndonesiaAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | YesUSD 60,000 a year |
| AustraliaAsia Pacific | No | LimitedEligible employees | YesSince 2024 | No | No |
| New ZealandAsia Pacific | No | YesFrom day one | No | No | No |
| ChinaAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | No |
| Hong KongAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | No |
| JapanAsia Pacific | No | LimitedParents and carers | No | No | YesJPY 10 million a year |
| South KoreaAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | Yes1x to 2x GNI per capita |
| TaiwanAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | YesUSD 20,000 to 40,000 a year |
| ThailandAsia Pacific | YesLabour Protection Act s.23/1 | No | LimitedWFH agreements only | No | YesTHB 500,000 in savings |
| VietnamAsia Pacific | No | No | No | No | No |
What is changing: Victoria (Australia) is debating a two-day work-from-home right, Canada’s federal disconnect policy duty awaits commencement, and the European Commission plans a Quality Jobs Act covering telework and disconnection. We log each change when it takes effect.
The nomad population is no longer mainly freelancers. Most are salaried employees, which turns every trip abroad into a payroll and tax question for the company paying them.
up 2.2% on 2024
Employees with a traditional job grew from 10.2 million. Independent nomads fell 7%.
Source: MBO Partners, Digital Nomads research 2025
Income rule as published by each government
Source: EmployerRecords review of immigration authority pages, October 2026
Corporate tax, social security and income tax each run on their own clock. An employee can stay inside one limit and cross another in the same year.
of working time over 12 months
Below it, a home office is generally not a permanent establishment. At or above it, a PE arises only if there is a commercial reason, such as serving local clients. It is a general rule, not a safe harbour.
OECD Model Tax Convention, 2025 update, released 19 Nov 2025
telework from the country of residence
Under the framework agreement, cross-border teleworkers below this stay in the employer’s social security system. 23 countries have signed, and it renews automatically every five years.
Belgian FPS Social Security, depositary, October 2026
days in any 12-month period
The treaty exemption also fails if a local entity or PE bears the salary. Local payroll duties can start well before day 183.
OECD Model Tax Convention, Article 15(2)
of 63 jurisdictions surveyed report tax authorities paying more attention to remote-work PEs
KPMG, May 2026
of employers track where employees work, up from 49% a year earlier
EY Mobility Reimagined, 2024
of mobility teams’ time goes on reactive, ad hoc requests
EY Mobility Reimagined, 2026
These states can tax a non-resident’s wages for days worked from home elsewhere, unless the employer required it.
*Reciprocal only. Source: Connecticut Office of Legislative Research, 2025-R-0067
An employer of record employs the person in their country and handles payroll, tax and social security there. Price the hire in any of 184 countries first.
The 35-country law table is our own. Each cell is read from legislation, a labour ministry or an immigration authority. Law firm summaries are used only where no official text is available, and are labelled.
Workforce figures come from statistics offices and peer-reviewed research. Vendor surveys are named as such. No figure comes from another stats roundup.
Every figure uses the newest release of its source, with the data period shown. Anything older than two years is replaced or removed.
When a figure is updated or a law changes, we record the date, the old and new value, and the source. Law changes are logged when they take effect, not when they are proposed.
| Source | Publisher | Data period | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Population Survey, telework tables (A-41, A-43) | US Bureau of Labor Statistics | Sept 2026 | US telework rate, by education and age |
| Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes, October 2026 update | Stanford WFH Research | Sept 2026 | Share of paid days worked from home; on-site, hybrid, remote split |
| Indicator: Hybrid Work | Gallup | Aug 2026 | Hybrid, remote and on-site split, remote-capable employees |
| State of Hybrid Work 2025 | Owl Labs (vendor survey) | 2025 | Office days among hybrid workers |
| Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance | Bloom, Han and Liang, Nature 630 | June 2024 | Resignations and performance under hybrid work |
| Flex Report Q3 2025 | Flex Index (now hosted by LSE) | Q3 2025 | Office requirements at US firms |
| Back to Work Barometer | Kastle Systems | Week to 30 Sept 2026 | US office occupancy |
| Remote work statistics and trends | Robert Half | Q2 2026 | Job postings by work arrangement and function |
| US Monthly Insights, April 2026 | LinkedIn Economic Graph | Mar 2026 | Remote share of postings and applications |
| 2024 CEO Outlook | KPMG | 2024 | CEO return-to-office expectations |
| Digital Nomads research 2025 | MBO Partners | 2025 | US digital nomad population |
| Employed persons working from home (lfsa_ehomp) | Eurostat | 2025 | Working from home by EU country |
| Who has access to hybrid working in Great Britain? | Office for National Statistics | Jan to Mar 2025 | Hybrid working share, Great Britain |
| Labour Force Survey, May 2026 | Statistics Canada | May 2026 | Work location, Canada |
| Working arrangements, August 2025 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | Aug 2025 | Usually working from home, Australia |
| Household Labour Force Survey, work from home statistics | Stats NZ | Sep 2024 quarter | Working from home, New Zealand |
| Telework population survey, FY2025 | Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan) | Oct 2025 | Teleworkers among employees, Japan |
| The Global Persistence of Work from Home | Aksoy, Barrero, Bloom et al., PNAS 122(27) | Nov 2024 to Feb 2025 | Work-from-home days per week across countries |
| Working from Home in Jordan: Adoption and Implications | Aksoy and Bloom, International Growth Centre | Feb 2026 | Country values for India, Singapore, Thailand, China, South Korea |
| 2025 Update to the OECD Model Tax Convention | OECD | Nov 2025 | Home office permanent establishment test |
| Cross-border telework framework agreement | Belgian FPS Social Security (depositary) | Oct 2026 | Social security threshold and signatories |
| International Manual INTM153170 (OECD Model Article 15) | HM Revenue and Customs | Current | 183-day rule |
| Navigating permanent establishment risk in a remote work era, part 2 | KPMG EU Tax Centre | May 2026 | Tax authority attention to remote-work PE |
| 2024 Mobility Reimagined Survey | EY | 2024 | Employers tracking employee movements |
| 2026 Mobility Reimagined Survey | EY | Apr 2026 | Mobility team workload |
| Convenience of the employer rules, report 2025-R-0067 | Connecticut Office of Legislative Research | May 2025 | US states applying the rule |
| Remote work and immigration | Migration Policy Institute | June 2022 | Early count of digital nomad visas |
Read with our editorial guidelines.
In the US, 21.9% of workers teleworked or worked from home for pay in September 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Measured by days, about 26% of all paid US workdays are worked from home. In the EU, 23% of employed people worked from home at least sometimes in 2025, but only 8.8% usually did.
About 34.7 million people in September 2026. Roughly half (17.0 million) teleworked all their hours and half (17.7 million) teleworked some of their hours.
In Europe, the Netherlands has the highest share working from home at least sometimes (52.3% in 2025), while Finland and Ireland have the highest share who usually do. Outside Europe, 36% of employed Australians usually work from home. National measures differ, so these figures should not be ranked against each other.
Not much in practice. The share of US workdays worked from home has held at about a quarter since 2023. What has fallen is remote hiring: 87% of new US job postings were fully on-site in Q2 2026, and hybrid workers are spending more days in the office.
US firms that set a minimum ask for 2.8 days a week on average, according to the Flex Index. Owl Labs found 34% of hybrid workers now go in four days a week, up from 23% in 2023.
Of the 35 countries we review, France, Spain, Colombia and Australia give all employees a right to disconnect. Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Ontario in Canada have narrower versions that apply only to some employers or workers.
Yes, usually through an employer of record, which employs the person locally and runs payroll, tax and social security. Paying them directly without an entity can create payroll registration duties and, if they work from home more than half the time for a commercial reason, permanent establishment risk under the OECD’s 2025 guidance. See what providers charge in our EOR Pricing Index.
There is no authoritative global count. The Migration Policy Institute counted more than 25 by mid-2022. Of the 35 countries we review, 11 offer one, and all of them require income from outside the country.
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