Only Half (50%) of Canadians Currently Working from Home Say They Expect to Return to the Office Regularly in 2022

Toronto, ON, December 26, 2021 – As the end of the year approaches, the future of the workplace remains uncertain heading into 2022 as only one half (50%) of Canadians currently working from home envision themselves returning to the office with any regularity in 2022, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News.

The poll also asked working Canadians about their experiences in 2021 and what their expectations and feelings are about 2022, given the ever-changing contextual situation in Canada. Overall, 64% of working Canadians agree (15% strongly/49% somewhat) that they achieved a better work-life balance in 2021, led by Quebecers (77%) and followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (69%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (68%), British Columbia (60%), Ontario (60%) and Alberta (49%).

However, it appears that many are still struggling to achieve that balance, since four in ten (39%) workers agree that they would be fine earning 20% less money if it meant they could work 20% fewer hours than they do now. Workers aged 18-34 (49%) are most likely to hold this position, followed by those aged 35-54 (35%) and 55+ (34%).

The nature of work continued to evolve in 2021, with 9% saying they started working remotely/from home, 7% returning to the office, and 15% continuing to work from home for an extended period of time. Moreover, among the 11% who started a new job, 72% agree that it was their choice to do so, while 28% disagree that it was their own decision, suggesting that they were laid off, fired, or needed to start a second job to make ends meet. Overall, 6% said they lost their job and 4% said they had to find a second or third job.

Those working from home appear to have enjoyed the flexibility and want to continue the option to work from home on a regular basis, even if they have missed their colleagues:

• 88% agree that they have enjoyed working from home more often in 2021, while just 12% disagree.
• 58% agree that they miss being with their colleagues in person, while 42% apparently don’t.
• 50% agree that they expect to return to the office on a regular basis in 2022, while 50% disagree.
• Only 44% agree that they want to return to the office on a regular basis in 2022, while a majority (56%) disagrees that they do.

Work Experiences in 2021

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between December 10 and 15, 2021, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. This release focuses on a sample of n = 611 working Canadians of whom 166 say they’ve primarily been working from home over the course of the pandemic.  The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 4.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all working Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

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