By the end of 2023, 39% of global knowledge workers will work hybrid, up from 37% in 2022, according to Gartner, Inc.
“Hybrid is no longer just an employee perk but an employee expectation,” said Ranjit Atwal, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner. “Many employees started to partially return to the office in 2022, but the hybrid workstyle will remain prominent in 2023 and beyond. To adapt, employers have been implementing a human-centric work design – including flexibility, intentional collaboration, and empathy-based management – which suits hybrid employees.”
For example, IT workers are more inclined to quit their jobs than employees in other functions as they look for greater flexibility, improved work-life balance, and better career opportunities. CIOs can maximize retention and attraction of talent by resetting their employee value proposition with a more human deal.
Gartner defines hybrid workers as workers who work in the office at least one day a week. Fully remote workers are those working from home all the time. On-site workers are those who work on-site full time, not working at home at any time.
The number of remote workers is expected to continue to fall year over year. Gartner estimates that remote workers will represent only 9% of all employees worldwide by the end of 2023.
Read more: UAE employees are hybrid inclined
Hybrid and fully remote work varies by country
While all countries have increased their proportion of hybrid and fully remote work since 2019, the allure of fully remote and hybrid work varies significantly by country.
Japan employers are focused more on employees returning to the office full-time compared with other employers around the globe. In Japan, the number of fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers will total 29% of its workforce in 2023.
In Europe, where face-to-face interaction remains a preference, the hybrid style of work is projected to increase in 2023. In Germany, fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers will account for 49% of the German workforce in 2023. Given their cultural and vertical industry mix, the number of fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers in the U.K. will be on the rise over the same period.
The U.S. number of full and remote and hybrid knowledge workers will account for 71% of the U.S. workforce in 2023. In the U.K., fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers will represent 67% of its workforce in 2023.
In the GCC, only 49% of organizations currently offer remote or hybrid working options, Hays Middle East.
More than half (54%) of employers in Saudi Arabia now offer flexible, remote, or hybrid working to their staff, the survey observed.
Half of those questioned said their employers offer flexible working, while the majority of firms (85%) also said they were looking to boost their staff quota in 2023.
For more on hybrid working, click here.
