Home workers are getting younger and more diverse in the pandemic

People who work from home are younger, more diverse, better educated and more likely to move during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to survey data from the US Census Bureau.

In many respects, the demographic of people who work from home from 2019 to 2021 has become more like workers who commute, while the share of the American workforce that works from home has increased from 5.7% in 2019 to 17.9% in 2021, as restrictions. It was implemented to help slow the spread of the virus, according to a report released last week based on US Community Survey data.

“The increase in home-based workers corresponded with a decrease in the number of drivers, motorists, transit passengers and most other types of commuters,” the report stated.

The share of people ages 25-34 who work from home jumped from 16% to 23% from 2019 to 2021. The share of black homeworkers increased from 7.8% to 9.5%, and it rose from 5.7% to 9.6% for Asian workers. It held steady for Hispanic workers, the report said.

The share of home workers with a college degree also jumped from just over half to more than two-thirds, and people working from home were more likely to have moved in the past year than commuters.

The two industry groups that saw the biggest jumps in home workers were information, going from 10.4% to 42%, and finance, insurance and real estate, from 10.8% to 38.4%. Professional and administrative services also increased from 12.6% to 36.5%.

The lowest gains were in agriculture and mining. entertainment and food services; And the armed forces.

While each income level saw jumps in people working from home, those in the higher income bracket were more likely to work from home. The report said that while it doubled from 2019 to 2021 for workers in the lowest income bracket, it tripled for those in the highest income levels.

Working from home also varies by region. By 2021, it was most prevalent in the West and Northeast, where it made up about a fifth of the workforce, compared to 16.2% in the South and 15.8% in the Midwest. The report said the difference is probably due to the availability of internet access, the range of information technology jobs on the coasts and the way people move around, whether by car or public transportation.

More than a third of the workforce in the high-tech San Francisco and San Jose areas was working from home in 2021 — the largest share among metros of more than 1 million residents.

Since most pandemic restrictions have been lifted since the 2021 survey was conducted, it is not known at this point if the growth in working from home is permanent.

“If only temporary, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically shifted the way people in the United States relate to their workplace,” the report said. “With work and mobility so central to American life, the widespread adoption of working from home has been a hallmark of the pandemic era.”

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