Productivity of Working from Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from an Employee Survey

Using data from an original survey conducted in June 2020, this study examines the prevalence, frequency, and productivity of working from home (WFH) practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. The results reveal that the percentage of employees who practiced WFH was approximately 32%. Labor input attributed to WFH arrangements accounted for approximately 19% of total working hours. Highly educated, high-wage, white-collar employees who work in large firms in metropolitan areas tended to practice WFH. The mean WFH productivity relative to working at the usual workplace was about 60% to 70%, and it was lower for employees who started WFH practices only after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, highly educated, and high-wage employees, as well as long-distance commuters, tended to exhibit a relatively small reduction in WFH productivity.

This is the English version of the Japanese Discussion Paper (20-J-034) with some additional information and changes.

Published: Morikawa, Masayuki, 2022. "Work-from-home productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Japan," Economic Inquiry, Volume60, Issue2 (2022), 508-527.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.13056