Access to remote work options remains inequitable, says Infosys-Milken report

The Milken Institute and Infosys report also outlines recommendations for tackling the rising inequality, inclusivity challenges and disruption stemming from the pandemic.

Despite higher workloads and a lack of social interactions, employees like working remotely. However, access to remote work options remains inequitable across income brackets with lower-income employees seeing fewer remote job roles, says a new report from the Milken Institute in partnership with Infosys.

The report titled 'Future of Work: Insights for 2021 and Beyond' analyzes attitudes towards the sudden shift to remote work created by the COVID-19 pandemic and offers recommendations for employers/employees moving forward. It is based upon the surveys of employees and managers of large US-based companies.

According to the report, while most employees saw increased job opportunities from remote hiring, employers were more willing to hire workers from elsewhere, with the latter reporting a high level of trust in their employees to be productive.

The pandemic has also changed employment forecasts for different sectors. For instance, the hardest-hit sectors - leisure and hospitality - expect strong employment growth while Utility companies projected to have the largest decline of any sector over the next decade.

"The pandemic has accelerated trends we had already been seeing and provided a rare opportunity to clearly envision the future of work in a way that benefits the largest number of people," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys.

Here are the other key findings of the report:

• 80% of respondents are very or somewhat satisfied with remote work, with 93% of women saying they were satisfied with remote work, compared to 88% of men
• There is an increased focus on skills training with most respondents believing that employees should look for their own training opportunities, regardless of income level
• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some companies slashed jobs while some reduced salaries. Meanwhile, some industries increased their efforts towards diversity hiring
• Inequitable access: 69% of those with an income below USD50k / year said they saw an increased remote working opportunity, compared to 86% of those making over USD75k / year.

The Milken Institute and Infosys report also outlines recommendations for tackling the rising inequality, inclusivity challenges and disruption stemming from the pandemic. These include:

• Strengthening the relationships between businesses and educational institutions
• Providing employees with financial support for their training
• Need for agility in business