Todd Morris
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toddmorris.bsky.social
Todd Morris
@toddmorris.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia). Research in applied micro (public and labor) with admin data. toddmorris.net
Why did lockdowns have a persistent effect on WFH?

- Employers appear to downsize office space & are more willing to offer WFH options

- Workers appear to invest in home offices and move further from city centers.

These adjustments have locked in WFH habits.
June 20, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Hybrid work is especially sticky.

Fully remote work is less persistent, but partial WFH remains common — especially in NSW and Victoria.

The stronger the lockdown, the greater and more persistent the WFH shift.
June 20, 2025 at 4:06 AM
We analyse data from the HILDA Survey — a nationally representative longitudinal panel — focusing on the 50% of workers with office jobs (those most able to WFH).

By 2023, workers in heavily locked-down states were still working from home 43% more (or an extra half a day p/w)
June 20, 2025 at 4:06 AM
After an initial national lockdown, Australia saw big differences across states in lockdown duration.

- Victoria: 206 extra lockdown days than control states
- NSW: 90 extra days
- ACT: 46 extra days

We use this natural experiment to study long-run WFH effects.
June 20, 2025 at 4:06 AM
🧵 New paper: How temporary COVID lockdowns permanently shifted work patterns in Australia 🇦🇺

A thread 👇

Link: drive.google.com/file/d/1KAf3...
June 20, 2025 at 4:06 AM