You can see the light at the end of the tunnel; people are getting vaccinated, and offices are preparing for employees to return to the workplace.
But what if you now prefer to work from home? Well, if your employer lets you, that’s good news, because Georgia just ranked No. 3 on WalletHub’s “Best States for Working from Home.”
Prior to this pandemic, just 20% of all employed people whose jobs could be done from home actually worked from home all or most of the time, the financial website wrote. Now, that number has risen to 71%, with 54% saying they would want to continue working from home after the pandemic ends.
“It makes sense that the majority of people who can work from home would like to continue doing so after the pandemic for many reasons, such as the fact that it eliminates a daily commute and can offer a quieter workspace,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said in an email. “But working from home could also create increased job competition. People can be hired by companies across the world, but also have to stand out among a worldwide field of applicants.”
Working from home is easier in some states, WalletHub found. For its analysis, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across two key dimensions: work environment and living environment. Those dimensions were evaluated using 12 relevant metrics, each graded on a 100 point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best infrastructure.
When the scores were tallied, Georgia came in third, with a 63.11 — that’s up from No. 5 last year. Although the Peach State ranked No. 20 for work environment, it was first in living environment.
Georgia also ranked:
16th – Share of population working from home before the pandemic
25th – Households’ internet access
2nd – Average home square footage
14th – Average retail price of electricity
10th – Median square footage per average number of people in a household
Delaware took the top spot in the ranking, with a score of 65.51, followed by North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire and Tennessee, in that order.
Alaska came in last place, with a score of just 37.73.
“One reason Alaska ranks lowest for working from home is that only around 68 percent of households have broadband internet access. In addition, Alaska has the fifth lowest share of potential telecommuters,” Gonzalez said. “On top of that, Alaska is the fourth lowest ranked state when it comes to cybersecurity and has the third highest cost of electricity in the nation. For many people, working from home in Alaska will be difficult, costly and risky.”
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