Commuting longer to reach the workplace: Evidence from pandemic lockdowns

We investigate how the lockdown-induced exposure to remote work affected the likelihood of switching to longer commutes using a longitudinal full-population register of Swedish employees. Employees with little experience of long distance commuting were more likely to start commuting longer if they had occupations with high potential for remote work. Examining heterogeneity across sectors, this is especially evident among high-skilled workers in sectors with both high and low preexisting shares of remote work and longer commutes. Our findings are important for understanding regional expansion and spatial extensions of labour markets in a world where more work can be done remotely.

Nilsson, P., Johansson, E., Larsson, J. P., Naldi, L., & Westlund, H. (2024). Commuting longer to reach the workplace: Evidence from pandemic lockdowns. Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation