In February, 24.3 % of all workers in Germany reported working at least partly from home, according to the latest Ifo business‑sentiment survey. The share hit a historical high of 32.3 % in March 2021 and fell to a low of 23.4 % in August 2024. Ifo researcher Jean‑Victor Alipour notes that since 2022, roughly one quarter of employees work from home at least part of the time, and that the pattern remains fairly stable across sectors even though differences exist.
The service sector has the highest proportion of home‑office users, with 34.9 %. Within it, IT service providers lead with a striking 76.4 % of employees working remotely, followed by management consultants at 67.6 %. In manufacturing, only 15.4 % of workers are home‑based, though the automotive industry shows a higher rate of 24.2 % and companies that produce data‑processing equipment reach 21.9 %.
Trade experiences a markedly lower rate of remote work. The overall share is 12.6 %, with wholesale at 17.3 % and retail at 5.9 %. Construction has the lowest adoption of home office, standing at just 4.5 %. Alipour stresses that firms that sharply restrict remote work are not setting a broader trend; home office remains an entrenched practice in Germany.