A trend that won’t go away: hybrid work has become the new normal

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 03. 28. 10:47

The coronavirus pandemic has passed, but the world of work has not returned to its old ways. Teleworking, which was introduced out of necessity during the years of the pandemic, has not faded from practice – in fact, hybrid working has become the new cornerstone of modern workplaces due to experience and employee demands. Flexible working arrangements have not only maintained their place, but have proven their worth in many areas – according to several recent international studies.

Lasting transformation: teleworking has not disappeared, it has only transformed

According to the latest Eurostat data (2023), 22.2 percent of working adults in the European Union work from home at least sometimes. Although this rate was still above 24 percent at the peak of the pandemic, the difference is minimal, which suggests that teleworking was not a temporary state, but became a permanent element of work organization.

Experts say that the proportion of fully remote work has always been lower, as many jobs – such as agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality or construction – can only be done with on-site presence. The hybrid model, however, can be applied in many more industries and in practice works well as a compromise between employers and employees.

Hybrid work: what everyone wants, but not everywhere gets

According to LinkedIn’s 2025 job market data, almost 40 percent of advertised positions offer hybrid work, while the proportion of fully remote jobs has fallen to only 5 percent from a peak of 11 percent in 2021. At the same time, employee searches show that interest in hybrid or fully remote positions has tripled.

This shows that demand and supply often do not meet. This is especially true in the Netherlands, where demand is six times higher than the number of remote work opportunities available. The main motivations for workers include reducing commuting time, adapting to family and care responsibilities and the opportunity to work internationally.

Germany, on the other hand, provides a positive example: there, searches for hybrid jobs have increased by 25 percent year-on-year, and companies are also more willing to adapt. According to Eurostat, the highest rates of working from home, at least part-time, are in the Netherlands (52 percent), Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Luxembourg (40-45 percent). At the other end of the scale are Bulgaria and Romania, with rates of 2-3 percent.