FEWER Bromsgrove residents are working from the office than they were before the coronavirus pandemic despite all restrictions coming to an end.

The Institute for the Future of Work research unit said Covid-19 rules led to a rise in homeworking across the UK, and many people are keen to maintain the benefits of working flexibly.

Google uses location data from phones and other personal devices to track trends in people's movement in different areas of their daily lives, including where they work.

The most recent figures show activity in workplaces in Bromsgrove in the working week to April 1 was 25 per cent lower than during a five-week baseline period recorded before the coronavirus pandemic.

This was up from 26 per cent below normal in the five days to March 25.

In England, domestic legal restrictions ended on February 24 as part of the Government's 'Living with Covid' plan.

Activity in workplaces across the UK was 26 per cent below normal in the most recent week's data – a figure which has remained around the same level since early March.

Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics show that between March 16 and 27, 12 per cent of British adults worked exclusively from home, 57 per cent travelled to work every day and 14 per cent did a combination of both.

The IFoW, an independent research and development institute, said lockdown restrictions acted as a catalyst for more remote work, with some employers and employees keen to retain the benefits.

A spokesperson for the group said it provides the opportunity to work from anywhere, at any time, and the ability to spend more time with families.

The spokesperson added: "Our research finds that individual preferences vary hugely, with some missing the everyday social interactions of a shared work space and experiencing an increased blurring of work-life boundaries."