South Korea Ranks Last Globally in Remote Work: "It's Hard to Work in a One-Room Apartment"

Survey Results on Remote Work Status by Stanford University and Others
Lowest at 1.6 Days per Month... Highest in Canada at 6.8 Days
"Differences in Residential Environment and Workplace Culture Compared to the West" Analyzed

As COVID-19 enters the endemic phase and remote work decreases, a survey revealed that South Korean office workers ranked last in the number of remote workdays among 34 countries worldwide.

South Korea averages 1.6 days per month... English-speaking countries have twice the remote workdays of Asia

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 4th (local time), although remote work has decreased globally as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, it was found that Asian countries have significantly fewer remote workdays compared to Western countries.

Stanford University, Instituto Tecnol?gico Aut?nomo de M?xico (ITAM), and the German Ifo Institute conducted a survey on remote work status targeting 42,000 office workers in 34 countries worldwide during April and May.

The survey results showed that South Korean office workers averaged 1.6 remote workdays per month, the lowest among the countries surveyed. Japan averaged 2 days, Taiwan 2.8 days, and China 3.2 days, with Asian countries generally staying around 2 to 3 days.

In contrast, Canada had the highest average with 6.8 days per month, followed by the United Kingdom with 6.0 days. Other English-speaking countries such as the United States with 5.6 days and Australia with 5.2 days showed about twice as many remote workdays as Asian countries.

In Europe, Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands recorded the highest remote workdays at 4.0 days. In South America, Chile and Argentina averaged 4.0 and 3.6 remote workdays per month, respectively. South Africa also recorded 3.6 days per month.

Americans commute from suburbs, South Koreans live in metropolitan apartments

Apartment view from Namsan, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The researchers analyzed that the differences stem from variations in housing environments, population density, COVID-19 control measures, and workplace culture between Asia and the West.

First, there was a difference in housing environments. Many American workers live in spacious suburban homes equipped for remote work, making them more reluctant to commute to the office.

In contrast, many Asian workers live in apartments in densely populated metropolitan areas. With relatively smaller homes and more family members, they tend to commute to nearby offices.

ITAM economist Jose Maria Barrero explained, “It is difficult to work remotely while living in a one-room apartment with a partner,” adding, “For example, apartments in Tokyo are quite small.”

"Early COVID-19 control hindered conditions for remote work adoption"

Seoul City Hall, temporarily closed in September 2020 due to COVID-19, switched to remote work. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

There is also an analysis that countries that controlled the COVID-19 pandemic early found it difficult to establish conditions for remote work. Several Asian countries controlled the initial COVID-19 outbreak without extending lockdowns, so workers did not gain enough experience to adapt to remote work.

Asian workplace culture also played a role. In Japan, for example, fax machines are still regularly used, so someone must always be present in the office. It was also analyzed that workplace cultures where employees can freely express opinions to superiors influence remote work adoption.

The NYT specifically cited the case of South Korea’s SK Hynix, reporting a negative atmosphere toward remote work because it cannot be applied to all employees and that it has never been fully implemented.

However, even in the West, there is a growing emphasis on office attendance. According to recruitment service company Sequoia, companies are creating an environment where office attendance is effective for work, fostering a sentiment that “remote workers may be marginalized.”

Additionally, after COVID-19 became endemic, skepticism about the efficiency of remote work, especially in the information technology (IT) sector, has led some companies to enforce office attendance. Last month, Amazon pressured employees to come to the office three days a week, mentioning the possibility of termination.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.