5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19, P6

February 12, 2025

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Work, technology and religion: What changed, and what didn’t, about American life amid COVID-19

The pandemic impacted many aspects of life in a variety of ways. Some people have gotten new flexibility when it comes to work and religious worship as technology has gained a new role in many Americans’ lives. But the pandemic also highlighted societal disparities in things like access to technology and the option to work remotely.

The way we work

The pandemic created a seismic shock in the labor market, with Hispanic people, young adults and low-wage workers hardest hit.

In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, a majority of American workers (62%) had jobs that couldn’t be done from home. But for those who could telecommute, the pandemic ushered in an era of increased remote work that continues to this day.

Among American workers whose jobs currently allow for remote work as a possibility, 14% say they were working remotely all of the time before the pandemic.
During the first year of the pandemic, that number peaked at 55% in October 2020.
Today, 32% of these workers still say they are working remotely all the time.
Among workers whose jobs currently allow for remote work, 23% say they were working from home most or some of the time before the pandemic, while 43% say this is the case today.

Many remote or hybrid workers say they prefer to work from home. And the shift to telework (and hybrid schedules) has had one clear upside for workers: Most of them say it has helped them balance their work and personal lives. But the biggest downside for these workers is that many say they feel less connected to colleagues.

Jump to more details on how COVID-19 changed work in America.

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