%0 Report
        %A Ketter, Laura
%A Morris, Todd
%A Yu, Lizi
        %T A New Equilibrium: COVID-19 Lockdowns and WFH Persistence
        %D 2025
        %8 2025 Jun
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 17975
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp17975
        %X This paper documents a robust link between COVID-19 lockdowns and the uptake and persistence of working from home (WFH) practices. Exploiting rich longitudinal data, we use a difference-in-differences strategy to compare office workers in three heavily locked-down Australian states to similar workers in less affected states. Locked-down workers sustain 43% higher WFH levels through 2023 — 0.5 days per week — with a monotonic dose–response relationship. Persistence is driven by adjustments on both sides of the labor market: employers downsize office space and open remote/hybrid positions, while employees relocate away from city centers and invest in home offices and technology.
        %K COVID-19
%K persistence
%K WFH
%K work from home
%K lockdowns
%K habit formation