The back-and-forth between employers and employees continues: How much remote work is allowed now that we’re past the worst of the COVID pandemic? Recent data from Kastle, a company that operates security systems for office buildings and tracks entries and exits, shows that about half of workers are working from home. This trend has been going on for some time, meaning many people are still working from home at least a few days a week.

As the balance between in-person and remote work stabilizes, we’re getting more research on how the rise of remote work has changed the workforce. A new report shows a clear winner in all of this: older workers with disabilities.

Chris Farrell, chief economics officer at Marketplace, looked into this topic and spoke with Sabri Ben-Achour, host of the Marketplace Morning Report. Below is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Sabri Ben-Achur: I think the first thing that stands out here is that older workers with disabilities have fared particularly well in the years since the pandemic. What does the data show?

Chris Farrell: The numbers are going in the right direction. I mean, the employment rate for people with disabilities aged 51 to 64 recovered faster after the pandemic than for other older workers. In late 2021 and early 2022, it even rose above pre-pandemic levels. And it can’t be a coincidence that the gains came while employers increasingly relied on remote work during and after the brief pandemic recession.

Ben-Achur: So the idea is that telecommuting would help these types of workers. Is there concrete evidence that more telecommuting is associated with higher employment rates among older workers?

Farrell: Two Boston College economists found that in “telework-capable” occupations – jobs that allow remote work – employment for the 51- to 64-year-old age group with disabilities increased by nearly 12% in 2022 compared to 2018. For the same cohort working in non-telework-capable occupations, however, there is barely any increase. Almost all of the post-pandemic employment gains for older people with disabilities have been in telework-capable occupations, in contrast to little change in non-telework-capable occupations.

Ben-Achur: The US population is aging. The average age is increasing. Is this an argument that remote work is more compatible with the existing workforce, i.e. with the development of the workforce?

Farrell: Many older workers with disabilities want to extend their working lives and earn an income. But they may no longer want to commute, or their workplace may not offer the accommodations they need. Telecommuting expands employment opportunities for all workers with disabilities of all ages—and that includes older workers.

Ben-Achur: And yet, at least in certain industries, there is still a strong resistance to bringing employees back to the office as much as possible, isn’t there?

Farrell: That’s true. But I feel like the speed of change since 2019 has been remarkable, and there’s no turning back. The ability to work remotely represents a fundamental shift in the way many of us work and live – and mostly for the better.