Remote Work is the Most Resilient Pandemic Behavior
While credit card debt, eating out, and online shopping have all returned to normal, remote work remains well above its pre-pandemic trajectory
Half of the 20 largest mass layoffs among technology companies since 2020 have occurred in the last three months. One of the primary culprits: tech companies overhired as they overestimated post-pandemic behavior change.
During the pandemic, people spent record time in Zoom meetings, at virtual conferences, and on Peloton bikes. But as the pandemic comes to an official end, so will, inevitably, many of the artificially-altered behaviors of the last few years.
Fortunes are being won and lost for those who correctly or incorrectly predict what pre-pandemic behaviors will stick.
One of the most resilient pandemic behaviors will be remote work. I recently predicted that remote work would continue to accelerate in 2023, building on the more than 30 years of acceleration that has happened during the pandemic.
The data is proving me right. Remote work is stabilizing at roughly 20% above pre-pandemic levels, while other behaviors, such as credit card debt, eating out, and online shopping, that spiked or dipped over the last few years have returned to their pre-pandemic trajectory.
Remote Work is Stabilizing at Around 20% higher than its Pre-Pandemic Trend
Credit Card Debt has Returned to its Pre-Pandemic Trajectory
Eating Out has Returned to its Pre-Pandemic Trajectory
Online Shopping has Returned to its Pre-Pandemic Trajectory
What other pandemic behaviors are more resilient than remote work?