Two years on from the start of the pandemic that forced millions of people to start working from home, millions of people are still…working from home.
But it’s got nothing to do with the fear that lockdowns will return. Instead, it’s a sign that the way we work has changed forever.
So how are US and UK workers enjoying this new normal?
You can find out thanks to this latest study from resume.io.
The resume.io research team ran geotagged Twitter data through sentiment tracking software to see where people in US and UK love working from home.
Here’s a look at what they found out.
The US States where people love home working
Delaware is the most pro-remote working US state; 46% of its home-working-related tweets were deemed positive.
It makes sense. Delaware is the beginning of a commuter belt running through New Jersey and New York, with some workers facing a three-hour round trip, every single day of the week.
The US city that has embraced remote work
If you think your morning commute is bad, spare a thought for the folk living in El Paso, Texas.
El Paso lies on the border with the Mexican city of Juarez, meaning thousands of workers have to get through the world’s busiest border crossing twice a day. Nightmare.
No wonder they prefer working from home a few days per week now. Almost half (45.4%) of the city’s related tweets say positive things about remote work; that’s the highest percentage of pro-remote work tweets in any US city.
Remote work in London, UK.
Home-working Tweets from London, UK, tell a similar story.
Most London boroughs score within the 30% range. Others, such as Hammersmith, Brent, and Haringey, scored well into the 50% range.
Again, it’s probably related to cutting out a few of those inner-city commutes.
Travelling around London during rush hour is NOT fun. And it’s expensive. Londoners saw unprecedented rises in public transport fares this year. Working from home is saving some city workers nearly £1000 per year.
The rest of the UK’s cities
The trend continues with geotagged Twitter data from the rest of the UK.
Watford (54.9%) and Warrington (51.6%) have the highest proportion of positive tweets.
These two cities have one notable thing in common. They both sit on the outskirts of much larger cities where millions of people travel to work every day.
Watford is only 20 miles from the centre of London. But on a bad traffic day, that journey can take up to two hours. Not good.
Warrington is close to the North of England’s busiest cities: Liverpool and Manchester. Both are notoriously difficult to navigate during peak rush hours. Then there’s the parking expense. A decent parking spot near Manchester’s business district can cost up to £15 per day.
More time, and more money in the pocket. That’s why so many people are loving working from home.
