Labour Markets and Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Who Could and Who Did Work From Home?

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented disruptions in European labour markets. This led to many losing their jobs, the introduction of furlough schemes, and a rapid shift towards remote work. This chapter examines overall labour market changes and closely examines remote working patterns in France, Germany, and Italy. Furthermore, the text focuses on the UK, which had the highest share of teleworkable jobs and where more granular data is available to conduct a more detailed analysis. While furlough schemes cushioned the loss of employment, France and the UK saw steeper initial declines in paid work, whereas Germany exhibited higher job retention. In all four countries, employment rates gradually recovered after the initial shock of the pandemic. The UK experienced the most sustained adoption of remote work, followed by Germany, while France and Italy experienced sharper declines as restrictions were eased. Men were slightly more likely to work remotely than women, and university graduates were far more likely to telework than non-graduates. Our findings confirm that the potential for remote work was highest in professional and managerial occupations and significantly more limited in lower-skilled professions. Furthermore, factors such as household income, home workspace suitability, commuting time, and childcare responsibilities influenced who was able to work from home. These findings underscore how shifts to pandemic-induced labour market influence lasting transformations in work practices, the socio-economic geography of cities and regions, and employment policy.