UK Remote Work Statistics 2026: The Top Remote and Hybrid Work Trends

How Many People Work Remotely in the UK?

Remote working is firmly established in the UK, but the data suggests the market is stabilising rather than expanding at the rapid pace seen in recent years.

Hybrid work is now the dominant model, and the UK ranks among global leaders in adoption. However, many workers still want fully remote and location-independent roles, showing a clear gap between employer policies and employee preferences.

• 74% of organisations say they have hybrid working in place, down from 84% in 2023.
• As of October 2025, 27% of workers in Great Britain were working in hybrid roles, while 13% were working fully remotely.
• The UK has the second-highest adoption of hybrid working globally (after Canada), with the average worker working remotely 1.8 days per week.
• 27% of workers say they would prefer to work fully remotely all of the time and stop commuting entirely.
• An estimated 165,000 Brits identify as digital nomads.

Who Works Remotely in the UK?

Remote working in the UK is not evenly distributed across the workforce, and access to hybrid work is strongly influenced by education, occupation, income, and personal circumstances.

Higher-earning professionals, degree holders, and office-based workers are far more likely to work remotely, while lower-paid and frontline roles have fewer remote opportunities. These remote work statistics also show important differences by age, parental status, and disability status, highlighting how hybrid work can improve flexibility and inclusion for some groups.

Remote Working by Education Level

• Hybrid and fully remote working are much more common among workers with a degree or equivalent qualification, while those with lower or no qualifications are far less likely to work remotely.
• Workers holding a degree or equivalent are 10 times more likely to participate in hybrid working than those without qualifications.

Remote Working by Occupation and Seniority

• Among managers, directors, and senior officials, 41% work in hybrid arrangements and 25% work fully remotely. By contrast, only 1% of workers in "elementary" occupations work hybrid roles and fewer than 1% work fully remotely.
• Office-based occupations are more than twice as likely to work hybrid (55%) compared with the wider working population (25%).
• Workers earning over £50,000 per year are more likely to work hybrid (45%) or fully remotely (24%), compared with those earning under £20,000, where only 8% work hybrid and 9% fully remotely.
• Full-time workers are more likely to hybrid work than part-time workers.
• The hybrid working arrangement was more common among employees than self-employed workers.
• Full-time employees are more likely to participate in hybrid working than part-time workers.

Remote Working by Age

• 29% of workers aged 30 and older followed a hybrid working pattern in Q2 2024, compared with 19% of those aged 16 to 29.
• Workers aged between 30 to 49 years are the most likely to do hybrid work.

Remote Working by Gender

• Male and female workers report similar levels of hybrid working (27% vs 25%) and fully remote working (14% vs 13%).

Remote Working by Parental Status

• Hybrid working rates are higher among working parents (35%) than non-parents (24%).

Remote Working by Race and Ethnicity

• Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers as a whole have similar levels of home working to white workers, though there are significant variations between different BME groups.

Remote Working by Disability Status

• Disabled workers have similar levels of fully remote work compared to non-disabled workers, though they are slightly less likely to work hybrid or fully in person.
• Fully remote working can help 80% of disabled workers manage their health, compared with 38% for those working remotely less than half of the time.

Regional Remote Working Statistics in the UK

Regional differences play a key role in remote work rates across the UK. Hybrid working is more common in London and affluent areas, while reliable digital infrastructure is creating pockets of opportunity for remote workers.

• Hybrid working levels vary significantly by region, with London reporting 39% of workers in hybrid arrangements, compared with 26% across Great Britain as a whole. Fully remote working is more evenly distributed across regions.
• Hybrid work is more common in less deprived areas of England than in more deprived areas. Almost one-third (32%) of workers in the least deprived areas were hybrid workers in early 2025, compared with 24% in the most deprived areas.

The best cities in the UK for remote workers, based on internet speed, internet freedom, security, and quality of life, include:

• Dunfermline, Scotland
• Chester, England
• Aberdeen, Scotland
• Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
• York, England
• Dundee, Scotland
• Perth, Scotland
• Milton Keynes, England
• Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Lisburn, Northern Ireland

The worst cities for remote working include Doncaster, London, Westminster, Manchester, Salford, and Bradford.

Remote Working Statistics by Industry

Remote work opportunities differ across industries. Professional sectors offer the most flexible work options, while site-based sectors such as retail and social care have fewer remote work jobs available.

• Levels of home working vary significantly across industries: 77% of employers in the "information and communication" sector and 60% in "professional, scientific and technical activities" offer home working to some extent, compared with just 6% in the "accommodation and food service activities" sector.

The best sectors for remote working include:

• Finance (24.6% of roles offered remotely)
• Leisure and tourism (20.3%)
• Insurance (17.7%)
• Sales (13.6%)
• Estate agency (11.4%)

Jobs in retail, manufacturing, automotive, social care, transport, and education are less likely to offer remote working (less than 1% of positions are listed as remote)

Productivity Statistics for Remote Working

Flexible and remote working arrangements can boost productivity for many employees. However, perceptions of productivity often differ across age groups. While many employers recognise the productivity benefits of remote working, others believe that office attendance drives better results.

• 41% of employers believe that increased home or hybrid working has improved productivity and efficiency, while 16% believe it has reduced productivity.
• 43% of workers aged 18–24 think they perform better in the office, compared with 25% who prefer working from home. For workers aged 55+, 36% report being more productive at home versus 29% in the office.
• Employers cite improving productivity and performance (57%) and boosting team morale (49%) as the main reasons for office attendance; 43% of employees say in-office work improves productivity and team connection.

Remote Working and Employee Wellbeing Statistics

Working from home or remotely has a big impact on mental and physical wellbeing. Benefits of remote work include fewer sick days, a shorter commute, and reduced travel costs. However, some employees report feeling lonely when working remotely.

• 80% of remote and hybrid workers report that working remotely positively impacts their wellbeing, while around 5% report a negative effect.
• Employees who work from home more than 75% of the time are more likely to report feeling lonely at work.
• Home-based workers take fewer sick days than office-based staff.
• Employers report that hybrid working can negatively impact: the ability of managers to lead teams effectively, employees' connection to the organisation's purpose, and overall organisational culture.
• Remote and hybrid workers gain an average of 56 minutes per day from not commuting, which they often use for rest, physical activity, or self-care.
• 42% of city workers in London reported benefiting from reduced travel costs when working from home.

Remote Working and Job Market Trends

Flexible work is now a top priority for many UK employees when choosing a new job, with hybrid and remote options driving attraction and retention. Despite strong demand for remote working roles, fully remote jobs are still few and far between.

• Hybrid working positively impacts attraction and retention of talent, the ability to recruit from a wider geographic area in the UK, employee financial wellbeing, and environmental outcomes.
• In 2025, 1.1 million UK workers left their jobs due to a lack of flexible working options.
• 53% of employees consider the ability to work remotely an important factor when choosing a new job, second only to pay and benefits (77%).
• Employees value hybrid working as much as an 8% pay increase.
• Fewer than 5% of UK jobs are fully remote.
• Google Trends shows 91,000 searches for "UK remote jobs" in 2025, compared with only 21,000 for "office jobs UK".
• The majority of remote jobs are offered as full-time roles, while part-time remote opportunities are limited.

Return-to-Office Trends

While return-to-office policies are being discussed in the media, statistics suggest that most businesses expect current flexible working practices to stay as they are. Some employers are planning to increase mandatory office days in 2026, but this could lead to over half of employees looking for a new job.

• 65% of organisations require employees to attend the workplace a minimum number of days per week or month.
• 14% of employers that allow hybrid working plan to introduce or increase the number of mandatory office days over the next 12 months.
• Monday is the most commonly mandated day for office attendance at 71%, while Friday is the least at 55%.
• Only 42% of workers would comply with a five-day return-to-office mandate; 9% say they would quit, and 49% would not quit immediately but would actively look for a job offering homeworking options.
• Women and parents of young children are the least likely to comply with return-to-office mandates.
• 59% of employers think the current working patterns are here to stay.

Remote Work in the UK: Lessons for 2026

The latest remote work statistics show that flexible working arrangements are now expected by many UK employees. Hybrid models dominate, but many workers still aspire to fully remote roles, highlighting a gap between current policies and employee preferences.

Access to remote work is uneven across sectors, locations, and job roles, with higher-paid, office-based, and degree-qualified staff benefiting most. When available, remote and hybrid work can improve productivity, support mental and physical wellbeing, and give employees more control over their work-life balance.

For job seekers, the lesson is clear: knowing how to showcase your experience and skills for remote roles is essential. Highlighting adaptability, digital proficiency, and experience with flexible working can make your CV stand out and open doors to opportunities that match your desired work style in 2026. For data on interview competition and hiring, see our UK Job Interview Statistics 2026.

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