Even though the practice may have spread widely due to the health crisis, telework has not fully established itself in France, shows an iFop study for the Jean Jaures Foundation published Wednesday.

According to this survey conducted in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, only 29% of French workers declared that they telework “at least once a week”, while 51% of Germans, 50% of workers. , 42% British and 36% Spaniards.

The frequency of teleworking in France is lower than elsewhere. “While in other European countries, the proportion of teleworkers using four to five days a week is higher than those using two to three days, this is the opposite of what we see in France”, note the Ifop analysts. For example, in Italy, 30% of working people telework for four to five days and 17% for two to three days, while in France, these frequencies relate to 11% and 14% of working people, respectively.

More inclined to CSP + Telework

Another phenomenon highlighted by the study: inequalities in access to remote work by socio-professional category (CSP). In five countries, CSP+ have more access to telework than CSP- but it is in France that the divide narrows with a difference of 39 points (56% of CSP+ and 17% of CSP- have access to teleworking). Most marked. For example, in Italy it is eight points (56 percent against 48 percent).

On the other hand, we see more homogeneity in France by age. Thus, 31% of those under the age of thirty-five work remotely at least once a week, as against 28% of those fifty and over. “This gap is stronger elsewhere and particularly in the United Kingdom where 58% of people under the age of thirty-five use it at least once a week, while 31% are fifty and over, a 27-point difference, Notes the Jean Jaures Foundation.

The French are less demanding than their neighbors

Overall, the French are more inclined to work remotely, averaging 1.8 days per week, compared to 0.9 days currently. But France has the lowest number of “desired” days of teleworking: the average frequency is 2.7 days in Spain, 2 in the United Kingdom, 2.2 in Germany, and 2.4 in Italy.

It remains to be seen whether three mandatory teleworking days per week by the government to contain the new wave of Covid-19 from January 3 and for at least another three weeks, is likely to be a game-changer.

The survey was conducted from September 21 to 27, 2021 using the quota method with assets drawn from representative samples of 1,011 Germans, 1,002 French, 1,004 British, 1,008 Spaniards and 1,007 Italians.