MOSCOW, 4 March 2025. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a monitoring study about remote work.
Every fourth Russian works entirely or partially from home (25%) today, which is slightly more than it was in 2022 (19%).
Over the recent four years the share of Russians who choose remote job has doubled (from 8 to 16%); the share of those who prefer a hybrid work model has increased 1.5-fold (from 23 to 34%). This work model is more appealing to young professionals (aged 18-35). Unlike the older generation who had to adapt to the new work model, young people entered the employment market being acquainted with the remote type of work. In addition, young people are more digitally literate and more adaptable to new technology than other generations. Young people also think that remote work model better suits their demand for work-life balance. This viewpoint is also common for Russians in general as they see remote work as a time-consuming option: less commute time, more time with family and time for self-realization and household chores, whereas the shortcomings are a lack of communication and poor self-discipline.
Who benefits from remote work? The findings show that those who benefit from this type of employment are largely qualified professionals (at least those who have higher or incomplete higher education), and self-employed workers. The hybrid work model is more popular in metropolitan areas than across the country in general (24% vs. 12%). Every second working resident of Moscow and St Petersburg seeks flexible employment conditions.
Remote workers are more likely than office workers to be satisfied with their employment model, and most of them would like to keep working remotely. Workers in other countries would not like to abandon remote work too. According to a January study conducted Pew Research Center, American remote workers would be likely to leave their job if they could no longer work from home (46% vs. 36%).
Russian VCIOM-Sputnik telephone survey was conducted February 21, 2025. A total of 1,600 respondents aged 18 and older took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interview, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. The data were weighted for socio-demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
Key effectiveness indicators, survey of 21 February 2025: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.7411; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0237; response rate (RR)*** = 0.0804. Calculations are based on corporate standard https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/
* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.
** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.
** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.
What is your type of work model now: remotely from home or office-based? (close-ended question, one answer, % of working Russians) | |||
| 2021 | 2022* | 2025 |
Primarily remotely from home | 11 | 10 | 13 |
Primarily office-based | 75 | 76 | 74 |
Hybrid model: sometimes from home, sometimes office-based | 12 | 9 | 12 |
Don’t know | 2 | 5 | 1 |
* All-Russian online survey VCIOM-Online
What type of work model would you prefer in the future? (close-ended question, one answer, % of working Russians) | ||
| 2021 | 2025 |
Primarily remote/from home | 8 | 16 |
Primarily office-based, at a location, travelling character of work | 65 | 43 |
Sometimes from home, sometimes office-based | 23 | 34 |
Don’t know | 4 | 7 |
What type of work model would you prefer in the future? (close-ended question, one answer, % of working Russians) | ||||
| Total | What kind of work do you have now: remote from home or office-based? (close-ended question, one answer, % of working Russians) | ||
Primarily remote/from home | Primarily office-based | Sometimes from home, sometimes office-based | ||
Primarily remotely/from home | 16 | 63 | 8 | 18 |
Primarily office-based, at a location, travelling character of work | 43 | 13 | 54 | 11 |
Sometimes from home, sometimes office-based | 34 | 24 | 31 | 67 |
Don’t know | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
What advantages does remote work give when people work from home? (open-ended question, up to 5 answers, % of total respondents, answers that gained 2% and more) | |
No need to go anywhere / no commute time / at home | 24 |
No fixed office hours / flexible hours / organization of work time | 15 |
Comfortable working environment / calm environment / convenient / coziness | 13 |
Family, children are closer / more time with family | 11 |
More free time / time for yourself | 10 |
No need to spend money to commute / food / clothes | 10 |
Time for household chores | 7 |
Less chance to get sick / less contact with people | 3 |
Nothing distracts you / no one interrupts | 2 |
You can work from any place in the world | 2 |
No need to wake up early / enough sleep | 2 |
Effective work / more time to work | 2 |
No boss / less communication with colleagues | 2 |
For women on maternity leave | 2 |
No advantages | 12 |
Other | 3 |
Don’t know | 28 |
And what about disadvantages? (open-ended question, up to 5 answers, % of total respondents, answers that gained 2% and more) | |
Lack of communication / communication is complicated / remaining reserved, no social interaction, lack of live communication | 27 |
Poor discipline and organization / too much distraction, getting relaxed / family can get you distracted | 16 |
Health / no movement / no physical activity | 6 |
It’s difficult to discuss work with colleagues/ some questions can only be solved at the office | 5 |
All the time at home, monotonous/ no time to go outside to breathe fresh air | 5 |
Overwork / overload /indistinct operation schedule / irregular working hours | 3 |
Lower work quality, lower production, effectiveness | 3 |
Home is a place to relax / no division between home and work / home is to relax | 2 |
Lower salary / unstable salary / no fixed income | 2 |
Communication, Internet needed / connection can be interrupted / dependence on PC | 2 |
Less control / no control | 2 |
Workplace is well equipped / equipment is needed | 2 |
No disadvantages | 10 |
Other | 6 |
Don’t know | 29 |