Canadians are leading the world when it comes to remote work, averaging more work-from-home days per week than workers in any other country, according to a global survey conducted by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
The survey, published earlier this month, found that Canadians work from home an average of 1.9 days per week. It surveyed 16,000 people across 40 countries, focusing specifically on college and university graduates who are more likely to be in roles allowing for remote work. While not representative of all workers, researchers noted that this group offers insight into broader workplace flexibility trends.
The United Kingdom ranked just behind Canada, followed by Finland, the United States, Germany, and China. Other European countries such as Portugal, Hungary, and the Netherlands also ranked relatively high for remote work frequency. Broadly, working from home was found to be most common in English-speaking countries including Canada, the U.K., the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, where employees averaged between 1.5 to 2 days of remote work per week. Countries such as Greece, China, Japan, and South Korea ranked among the lowest for remote working habits.
Researchers also found that employees who are parents were more likely to engage in hybrid work models, splitting their time between home and the office. Those without children were more likely to either work fully remotely or fully on-site. While remote work levels have dropped compared to 2022, they stabilized throughout 2024 and into 2025.
The survey also revealed a slight gender difference: women with children showed a marginally higher preference for working from home compared to other groups. The research was conducted through an online questionnaire between November 2024 and February 2025, distributed by market research company Bilendi across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa.
Canadian attitudes toward remote work have consistently remained positive. A separate survey by the Public Service Alliance of Canada in October 2024 found that 81 per cent of respondents believed remote work was beneficial to them personally, and about 66 per cent reported increased productivity. Only 15 per cent preferred the idea of predominantly working on-site.
Respondents said remote work boosted their creativity, passion, happiness, and enthusiasm. This sentiment has been backed by Statistics Canada, which reported a 4.5 per cent increase in productivity within the federal public service between 2019 and 2023 during periods of widespread remote work.
For many Canadians, remote work is not just a convenience — it’s a way to work smarter, happier, and more efficiently.