Australia sees rise in telework despite easing restrictions

Larger businesses were twice as likely to have introduced remote working arrangements in response to COVID-19 as compared to smaller firms.
By: | May 6, 2021
Topics: Australia | Employee Experience | Health and Wellness | Hybrid Working | Mobility | News | Restructuring

Despite easing restrictions, the number of Australian businesses teleworking has increased, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Of that, 30% of Australian businesses have staff who are currently teleworking, up 20% before COVID-19 restrictions were imposed, but also down from the 43% reported last September. 

The survey, conducted from April 14 to 21 this year, also revealed that of the companies that had workers teleworking prior to COVID-19, some 27% of these businesses have increased the proportion of staff teleworking, while 33% have increased the frequency of their staff teleworking. 

It also showed that larger businesses (40%) were twice as likely to have introduced remote working arrangements in response to COVID-19 as compared to smaller firms (21%). 

Meanwhile, of companies already teleworking, larger firms (83%) were also more likely to have increased the proportion of workers who work remotely, as compared to smaller firms (23%).

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Companies in the sector of “Information Media and Telecommunications” increased the proportion of their staff teleworking by 14%, and the frequency of teleworking by 13%. 

For businesses in the sector which had already adopted teleworking practices, the proportion of their staff on a telework arrangement rose by 57%, and the frequency was up 54%.