Eurozone employees are reluctant to give up a significant share of their wages for the option to work from home, despite reporting high levels of satisfaction with hybrid arrangements, a European Central Bank (ECB) survey has shown. 

According to the paper, prepared by António Dias da Silva and Marco Weissler, 70 per cent of workers said they would not accept a pay cut if their employer banned remote work.  

However, 13 per cent would accept a reduction of between 1 and 5 per cent, while 8 per cent would take a cut of between 6 and 10 per cent.  

On average, employees said they would forgo 2.6 per cent of their wages to work from home two or three days a week. 

At the same time, the survey highlights strong differences depending on existing work-from-home patterns. Employees who already spend more time at home tend to be willing to sacrifice more pay to keep the arrangement.  

Fully remote workers said they would accept a 4.6 per cent cut, compared with only 1.6 per cent for those working from home one day a week.  

Moreover, among those open to a reduction, the average acceptable cut rises to 8.7 per cent, suggesting that while most workers place limited value on trading pay for flexibility, a minority see it as a substantial non-wage benefit. 

The paper also points to variations by personal and professional characteristics. Younger employees, those with children in the household, and workers facing longer commutes were more inclined to accept a pay cut to work remotely.  

By contrast, income, education and gender appeared to have little influence on how much value was placed on teleworking. 

Since the pandemic, remote work has also become far more widespread. Eurostat data show that the share of euro area employees aged 20–64 who at least sometimes worked from home doubled between 2019 and 2024, from 11.7 per cent to 22.4 per cent. 

 In the ECB’s consumer expectations survey (CES), the figures were even higher, with 33.6 per cent of respondents in May 2024 working at least two days a week from home.  

Crucially, the CES suggests these teleworking patterns have become well established, remaining broadly stable from 2024 to 2025. 

In addition, the study shows that hybrid working remains the most common and preferred option. In May 2025, 55.7 per cent of eurozone employees were not working from home at all, 11.9 per cent worked from home one day a week, 21.9 per cent between two and four days per week, and 10.6 per cent worked fully remotely.  

Satisfaction was highest among hybrid workers, with 84 per cent content with their arrangements. By contrast, 43 per cent of fully remote staff said they would prefer fewer days away from the office, suggesting employer requirements or necessity may be driving some teleworking. 

International comparisons also put the eurozone results in perspective. US workers, according to Barrero et al. (2021), would accept a 7 per cent pay cut to work from home two or three days a week.  

Nagler et al. (2024) estimate that German workers would give up 7.7 per cent of earnings to work fully remotely and 5.4 per cent for two days per week.  

Meanwhile, in the US tech sector, Cullen et al. (2025) find that workers would forgo around 25 per cent of pay to secure a remote role. By comparison, the ECB survey suggests euro area employees are far less willing to sacrifice wages for flexibility. 

Nevertheless, the authors stress that teleworking has become a valuable non-wage benefit for many. It helps workers with childcare responsibilities or long commutes balance professional and personal life, and it allows others to access jobs they might not otherwise take, particularly in sectors facing labour shortages.  

However, the challenges remain clear: isolation, fewer opportunities to connect with colleagues and concerns over visibility may explain why so many employees are reluctant to give up part of their salary for the option. 

In Cyprus, the debate over teleworking has moved forward quickly. The Telework Law of 2023 introduced a formal framework for remote work in the private sector, making employers responsible for costs such as equipment, telecommunications and workplace use.  

The legislation also guarantees employees a “right to disconnect” and equal treatment compared with colleagues working on-site. 

From November, the labour minister is expected to issue a decree fixing the monthly cost of teleworking at around €40, applicable to both the private and wider public sectors.  

In this way, Cyprus is moving towards regulating the right to remote work and also the financial obligations of companies, at a time when the ECB survey shows that employees across the eurozone value flexibility but are not prepared to fund it out of their own pay packets.