According to government data, employees with a degree are ten times more likely to have a hybrid work arrangement than those without one, indicating that a rift in society has developed since the initial COVID lockdowns.

The Office for National Statistics reported that, some five years after the epidemic began, hybrid working—half from home and part on the commute—seemed to be "here to stay" for certain employees more than others.

According to the ONS, the likelihood of hybrid working varied by age group, job type, and educational attainment, underscoring the possibility that the change might deepen already-existing socioeconomic divides.

Workers with a degree or equivalent were 10 times more likely to to have a hybrid arrangement than those with no qualifications, while those aged over 30, parents and managers and professionals were the most likely to log on from home.

While almost half (45%) of people in senior managerial jobs – regardless of sector – followed a hybrid working model, as few as 3% of those in shopfloor roles in the retail sector, cleaning services, caring and leisure jobs were in a similar position.

More than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain (28%) had hybrid arrangements in the autumn of 2024, the ONS said, highlighting a persistent change in working patterns since an explosion in remote working at the height of the pandemic.

“While the trend in working only from home has fallen since 2021, a hybrid-working model (part travelling to work, and part at home), has become the ‘new normal’ for around a quarter of workers,” it said.

“In 2022, we asked the question: ‘Is hybrid working here to stay?’ It appears it is, but for some workers more than others.”

For those able to have a hybrid arrangement, the ONS said there were significant perks, including an average of 56 minutes saved from commuting, and spending an average of 24 minutes more on sleep and rest and 15 minutes more on exercise, sports and wellbeing.

The government last month launched a package of sweeping changes to workers’ rights, including making flexible work the default “where practical” alongside other employment protections, as well as a ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts.

Even at its peak, home-based workers remained in the minority in Britain, reaching 49% of working adults in the first half of 2020. Levels were highest in London and other large cities, and lowest in towns in the north of England and the Midlands.

However, growing numbers of employers have announced a push to get employees back to their desks in some occupations where home working was most heavily used, including at Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Boots and Barclays.

Last week, Asda became the latest, making it compulsory for office-based workers in Leeds and Leicester to spend at least three days a week at their desks from January.

Catherine Sermon of Phoenix Insights, a thinktank run by the FTSE 100 insurer Phoenix Group, said it was best “where possible” for employers to adopt flexible working practices.

“Hybrid working can be a gamechanger for workers, enabling them to balance work for a wide range of important reasons such as caring responsibilities, or better manage their physical and mental health,” she added.