Economists discuss the impact of working from home on productivity, job satisfaction, and women’s career progression

The pandemic has led to a big shift to working from home among people in occupations where it is possible for the jobs or some part of them to be done remotely. There has been much debate about the extent to which such forms of working (or a hybrid model, with some hours done at home and some on business premises) will continue over the longer term. Key questions include the potential impact on employees’ productivity and their job satisfaction, and whether the career trajectories of women and men may be affected differently by a substantial increase in working from home. A panel by the Initiative on Global Markets interviews top economists, including LSE’s Christopher Pissarides, Ricardo Reis, Daniel Sturm, and John Van Reenen. and MIT’s Daron Acemoglu. Romesh Vaitilingam sums up the discussion.