2022/02/22
Keio University
Professor Toshihiro Okubo of the Faculty of Economics at Keio University has been regularly conducting large-scale surveys on telework and the work, lives, and attitudes of workers in Japan during the spread of COVID-19 since April 2020, when the pandemic began. This is the sixth "Survey on the State of Telework," a large-scale national survey of 10,000 workers conducted in collaboration with the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA).
According to the preliminary results of the 6th survey, the national telework utilization rate has remained generally flat since June 2020, reaching 17% this past January amid the spread of the Omicron variant. While there has been no significant change in the telework utilization rate, the frequency of telework was found to vary depending on the infection situation. Furthermore, it was suggested that the impact of the Omicron variant on organizations may be relatively greater from indirect situations, such as restrictions on business hours, than from direct situations like employee infections. Regarding government policies, the trend of more people supporting economic measures over infectious disease control measures has continued, and the prompt administration of vaccine booster shots is likely to be a key challenge in revitalizing the economy.
For the full press release, please see below.