European Central Bank research finds 70% of euro area employees would not accept a pay cut for hybrid working from home

The European Central Bank published analysis in its Economic Bulletin using the ECB Consumer Expectations Survey to assess how euro area employees value the option to work from home. It finds that hybrid working is the most common and preferred remote-work arrangement, but most employees are unwilling to trade meaningful wage cuts for the ability to work from home two to three days per week. Remote working became more prevalent after the pandemic, with Eurostat data showing the share of employees aged 20-64 who sometimes worked from home rising from 11.7% in 2019 to 22.4% in 2024, while the CES recorded 33.6% working from home at least two days per week in May 2024 and broadly stable patterns into 2025. In May 2025, 55.7% reported no working from home, 11.9% around one day per week, 21.9% two to four days (hybrid) and 10.6% five or more days; 84% of hybrid workers were satisfied with their current arrangement, while 43% of fully remote workers would prefer fewer days away from the office. On willingness to accept a pay cut for a hybrid option, 70% would accept none, with an average acceptable pay cut of 2.6% overall (4.6% for fully remote workers and 1.6% for those working from home around one day per week); among those willing to accept any cut, the average acceptable pay cut was 8.7%. The valuation of working from home was higher for younger workers, those with children and those with longer commutes, while income, education and gender showed little impact.