New data from Statistics Canada show that, from April 2020 to June 2021, 31% of workers aged 15 to 64 performed most of their hours from home compared to only 4% who did so in 2016.

The proportion in Alberta from April 2020 to June 2021 was 27%.

Not surprisingly, the share of Canadians working from home was higher among those who earn more as higher-paying jobs are more likely to be ones that can be done remotely. According to the report, close to half (45%) of dual-earner salaried couples in the top 10% of the earnings distribution had both spouses working from home over the April 2020 to June 2021 period compared to just 5% for their counterparts in the bottom 10% of the earnings distribution.

Working from home also varied across industries. Finance and insurance sector workers were the most likely to perform their jobs from home at 73% followed by workers in the professional, scientific and technical services sector at 70%.

The sector with the smallest proportion of telecommuters was accommodation and food services at just 5% followed by construction at 10%.

Education level was also a key factor. Almost 6 in 10 (58%) workers with an education level above a bachelor’s degree performed most of their hours from home compared to just 7% of workers with less than high school.

At 35%, women were more likely to work from home than men at 27%.

Answer to the previous trivia question: The month of August is named after the Roman Emperor Augustus (a.k.a. Octavian) who ruled from 63 BCE until 14 CE.

Today’s trivia question: Which province had the highest proportion of people working from home from April 2020 to June 2021?