74 Million Employees Embraced ‘Work From Anywhere’ Trend in US This Summer

Summer 2022 was the first breath of fresh air in more than two years for many consumers across the U.S. It was the first time since the pandemic began that not only were mask mandates and travel restrictions lifted, but also the weather made travel and outdoor activities more enjoyable. It is little surprise that millions of consumers took every chance to make the most of the season.

What no one anticipated was how much these consumers would rely on digital tools for their summer activities. PYMNTS’ latest research shows that millions of consumers reimagined their 9-to-5 routines. A total of 54 million worked remotely — from home, from restaurants or cafes, from faraway lands or other locations — not once, but every single day in July 2022, magnifying the “work from anywhere” trend that’s been unfolding for months.

In the September edition of The ConnectedEconomy™ Monthly Report: The Work-From-Anywhere Summer, PYMNTS goes back into the field to discover how digital tools helped U.S. workers reimagine the 9-to-5 to make the most of the summer. We surveyed a census-balanced panel of 2,736 U.S. consumers about how they used mobile apps, platforms and other digital channels to integrate their work lives into their commutes and travels.

Key findings from our research include the following:

• Consumers embraced the “work from anywhere” trend this summer. Thirteen million more consumers either worked remotely from outside their homes, worked on vacation or built their own businesses online than did so nine months ago.
• Workers living paycheck to paycheck were most likely to stay connected to work after hours, while mid-income consumers were most likely to work from locations outside their homes. Among consumers earning between $50,000 and $100,00 annually, 17% reported working online remotely from locations outside their homes.
• High-income consumers increasingly engaged in travel-related digital activities during vacations. Fifteen percent of consumers earning more than $100,000 annually reported working one vacation in July — nearly twice the share of mid-income consumers and thrice the share of low-income consumers who did the same.

These are only a few of the key trends that defined workers’ lives in the last summer. The September edition of The ConnectedEconomy™ Monthly Report: The Work-From-Anywhere Summer provides an overview of how the digital economy helped consumers embrace a more connected and mobile lifestyle in Summer 2022.

To learn more about how consumers used digital apps, platforms and other channels to make the most of Summer 2022, download the report.