Before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 80 percent of Canadian employees were working primarily at external workplaces. This decreased to 27 percent during the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, only six percent of employees were working remotely for most of the time before the outbreak of the pandemic. The share of employees working both in home office and at their workplace, did not change significantly, declining from 12 percent to 14 percent.

Percentage of workforce teleworking or working remotely prior to February 1, 2020, on March 31, 2020, and percentage of workforce able to carry out a majority of their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, business employment size, type of business and majority ownership.

According to a study conducted among Canadian employees in 2021, very few employees reported to be less productive at home than outside, e.g. in the office. Overall, only 9.5 percent of new remote workers accomplished less work per hour. Productivity increased the most among employees aged 51 to 64 years. In this age group, 36.1 percent of new remote workers accomplished more work per hour at home than in the office.

Percentage and average percentage of workforce anticipated to work on-site or remotely over the next three months, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), business employment size, type of business, business activity and majority ownership, first quarter of 2025.

According to a study conducted among Canadian employees in 2021, very few employees wished to fully return to work from the office once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. In fact, only nine percent of Canadian employees declared to be willing to work all hours outside of the home. The largest group of workers (40.8 percent) preferred to work half of hours at home and half outside the home. On the other hand, some 15 percent of remote workers wanted to work all hours at home after the coronavirus pandemic.

As of May 2021, around 5.1 million Canadians were working from home. This represented a slight decrease compared to January and February, when 5.4 million and 5.2 million employees in Canada were working remotely. In fact, in several provinces schools and workplaces reopened in March. According to the source, in March 2021 around half were doing so temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Percentage and average percentage of workforce anticipated to work on-site or remotely over the next three months, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), business employment size, type of business, business activity and majority ownership, fourth quarter of 2024.

Percentage of workforce anticipated to work on-site or telework over the next three months, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), business employment size, type of business, business activity and majority ownership, fourth quarter of 2021.

Data on the main mode of commuting by commuting duration, distance (straight-line) from home to work and time leaving for work.

At the beginning of 2021, 32 percent of employees in Canada were working most of their hours from home. This represented a significant increase compared to 2016, when only four percent of employees were working mostly remotely.

As of 2021, unmarried remote workers without children made up the lowest share of Canadian employees willing to work most of their hours at home once the pandemic is over. More specifically, 32.7 percent of unmarried employees with children and 34.4 percent of unmarried employees without children preferred this option. By contrast, around 41 percent of married teleworkers wished to work most of the hours remotely after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Number of employees by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and type of employee, last 5 years.

Data on place of work status by main mode of commuting, time leaving for work, and commuting duration for employed persons aged 15 years and over, with a usual place of work or no fixed workplace address, in private households in Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions, and census subdivisions.

Number of days lost per full-time employee in a year, by public and private sector and gender, annual.

Canada's rapidly changing demographic profile, along with its accompanying social and economic issues, has led to much discussion concerning the relationship between work, lifestyle and well-being. Gauging the quality of life at work can help diagnose issues relating to productivity, morale, efficiency and equity. Charting patterns of home and leisure activities can take the temperature of Canadian culture. Bringing these two together will provide insight on the health and well-being of Canadians as they meet the challenges of the future. The General Social Survey Program's new cycle,Canadians at Work and Home, takes a comprehensive look at the way Canadians live by incorporating the realms of work, home, leisure, and overall well-being into a single unit. Data users have expressed a strong interest in knowing more about the lifestyle behaviour of Canadians that impact their health and well-being both in the workplace and at home. The strength of this survey is its ability to take diverse information Canadians provide on various facets of life and combine them in ways not previously possible with surveys that covered one main topic only. The survey includes a multitude of themes. In the work sphere, it explores important topics such as work ethic, work intensity and distribution, compensation and employment benefits, work satisfaction and meaning, intercultural workplace relations, and bullying and harassment. On the home front, questions include family activity time, the division of labour and work-life balance. The survey also covers eating habits and nutritional awareness, the use of technology, sports and outdoor activities, and involvement in cultural activities. New-to-GSS questions on purpose in life, opportunities, life aspirations, outlook and resilience complement previously asked ones on subjective well-being, stress management and other socioeconomic variables. Within Canada, all levels of government, academics and not-for-profit organizations have expressed interest in the results. Data from this survey will assist with program and policy decisions and research of all kinds interested in exploring the workplace, home life and leisure activities of Canadians from all areas of life. In addition, some of the data from this survey will be comparable internationally.

This table is part of a series of tables that present a portrait of Canada based on the various census topics. The tables range in complexity and levels of geography. Content varies from a simple overview of the country to complex cross-tabulations; the tables may also cover several censuses.

Data on distribution of total income by place of work status for Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions, census and subdivisions.

According to a study conducted in 2022, Canadians who most wanted to work exclusively or primarily remotely lived in British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces (84 percent). Conversely, those who preferred to work only in the office, or mostly on site, were more numerous in Alberta than elsewhere in Canada.

This table is part of a series of tables that present a portrait of Canada based on the various census topics. The tables range in complexity and levels of geography. Content varies from a simple overview of the country to complex cross-tabulations; the tables may also cover several censuses.

Percentage of workforce anticipated to work on-site or remotely over the next three months, by percentage ranges, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), business employment size, type of business, business activity and majority ownership, third quarter of 2022.