From a pre-Covid level of about 15 per cent, the proportion of employees who sometimes or usually worked from home surged to 44 per cent during lockdown. Second, in absolute terms, nearly 960,000 people are still working from home – more than three times the pre-Covid number. It has often been said that the ultimate test of hybrid working will be its ability to withstand a labour market slowdown that hands power back to employers. [ Hybrid working: Banks, finance and law firms bring Ireland’s workers back to the officeOpens in new window ]Although unemployment remains low, the CSO data shows that it has edged-up, and that jobs growth has slowed. The contraction in hybrid working may reflect significant job losses in the service industries where it is most widely used.

Source: The Irish Times February 21, 2026 07:40 UTC