Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!

The rise of the super commuters

Jun 4, 2024
New research out from Stanford finds the number of 40-plus-mile commutes are increasing as many workers only need to travel to work a few days a week. And the share of workers traveling 75 miles or more is up a third since the start of the pandemic.
The share of workers traveling 75 miles or more is up one third since the start of the pandemic.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images

Report says remote workers are getting little training on best practices

Apr 3, 2024
A consulting firm's report says more than 70% of workers haven't had training on managing remote workers or the best way to do so.
Four years into the pandemic, more than 70% of workers still haven’t gotten training on remote work best practices, a new report says.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The shrinking federal government — in D.C.

Mar 15, 2024
For years, there have been more federal workers based outside the nation’s capital than in it. That trend picked up during the pandemic.
"From February 2020 to January 2024, federal government employment in the District of Columbia, D.C. proper, fell by 2%,” said T.J. Lepoutre at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Suburban home values were up 5.6% last year

Mar 6, 2024
But suburban owners still want to be close to downtown amenities.
Suburban homeowners experienced bigger price gains than homeowners near city centers over the last year, according to Redfin.
George Rose/Getty Images

It's been a bumpy ride for the office jobs that support office jobs

Jan 29, 2024
Jobs in this kind of work — the work that makes offices and buildings run, makes them nice — grew about 2.6% last year. It's growth but it's not huge growth.
The slow and uneven return to office leaves the future of office ecosystems up in the air.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

That empty feeling: Office vacancy rates hit a new high

Jan 9, 2024
Many companies have decided they want employees in the office only part of the time, but they don't want to pay rent on empty space.
As companies commit to long-term hybrid work environments, less office space is needed, leaving many buildings partially vacant.
C. Taylor Crothers/Getty Images

It's been 4 years since the pandemic began. Here's what the new normal looks like.

Jan 4, 2024
Even if we're back to statistical "norms," remote employment, widespread freelancing and worker activism have changed the landscape.
One big change: more people working remotely or for themselves.
Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

In a world of hybrid work, hot desking is becoming more prevalent

Nov 9, 2023
It’s a cost-saving measure that’s more common now than it was pre-pandemic, but not all workers like it.
A report from Morgan Stanley found that while "hot desking" saves employers money, not all workers are a fan.
Edwin Tan/Getty Images

How Slack, email and Zoom are making us less productive and more overwhelmed

Nov 1, 2023
Digital platforms have become especially difficult to manage with the rise of remote work.
While digital platforms like email, Microsoft Teams and Slack have increased productivity in some ways, they also mean more time responding to messages and less time accomplishing work tasks.
Getty Images

Admit it — you miss socializing at the office

May 23, 2023
Work can be a foundational part of socialization for young adults on their own for the first time.
It’s been more than three years since the pandemic first shut down offices across the country. That means many young office workers have never actually worked in an office.
AzmanJaka/Getty Images