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Workers ages 25 to 54 more likely to telework due to COVID–19 in February 2021

March 11, 2021

Nearly 1 in 4 people (22.7 percent) employed in February 2021 teleworked or worked at home for pay because of the COVID–19 pandemic. This is down from 35.4 percent in May 2020, the first month these data were collected.

Percent of employed persons who teleworked at some point in the last 4 weeks because of the COVID–19 pandemic
Month Age Sex Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity
Total, 16 years and over 16 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 years and over Women Men Asian White Black or African American Hispanic or Latino

May 2020

35.4% 18.9% 38.8% 33.4% 40.9% 30.8% 51.9% 35.3% 29.3% 23.0%

Jun 2020

31.3 15.0 34.8 29.6 36.0 27.2 48.5 30.8 25.7 21.1

Jul 2020

26.4 12.4 29.6 25.2 29.3 23.9 43.8 25.7 22.7 17.3

Aug 2020

24.3 11.1 27.4 22.5 27.1 21.9 42.7 23.4 20.9 15.9

Sep 2020

22.7 10.4 25.7 20.6 25.8 19.9 39.5 21.9 19.6 14.3

Oct 2020

21.2 9.2 24.0 19.9 24.0 18.8 35.1 20.7 17.8 12.7

Nov 2020

21.8 9.8 24.6 20.2 24.5 19.3 34.6 21.5 17.9 13.1

Dec 2020

23.7 10.3 26.7 22.3 26.6 21.2 39.3 23.2 19.3 14.3

Jan 2021

23.2 9.8 26.3 21.6 26.0 20.8 36.9 22.8 18.8 13.8

Feb 2021

22.7 8.5 25.5 22.2 25.1 20.5 37.8 21.9 19.5 13.4

The likelihood of teleworking due to the pandemic varied across worker groups. Teleworking remained more likely among workers ages 25 to 54 than among older or younger workers. In February 2021, 25.5 percent of those ages 25 to 54 teleworked, compared with 22.2 percent for workers age 55 and older and 8.5 percent for workers age 16 to 24.

Women continued to be more likely to telework due to the pandemic than men. In February, 25.1 percent of women teleworked because of the pandemic, compared with 20.5 percent of men.

Asian workers remained more likely than those of other race or ethnicity groups to telework. In February, 37.8 percent of Asians teleworked because of the pandemic, compared with 21.9 percent of Whites, 19.5 percent of Blacks, and 13.4 percent of Hispanics.

For all groups, the share of workers who teleworked due to the pandemic is lower than in May 2020.

These data are from the Current Population Survey and are not seasonally adjusted. Beginning in May 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics added questions to the Current Population Survey to help gauge the effects of the COVID–19 pandemic on the labor market. Learn more about these new supplemental data. A summary of the impact of the pandemic on the monthly Employment Situation also is available. These data refer to employed people who teleworked or worked at home for pay at some point in the past 4 weeks specifically because of the COVID–19 pandemic. This does not include those whose telework was unrelated to the pandemic, such as employed people who worked entirely from home before the pandemic. People whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Workers ages 25 to 54 more likely to telework due to COVID–19 in February 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/workers-ages-25-to-54-more-likely-to-telework-due-to-covid-19-in-february-2021.htm (visited November 03, 2024).

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