Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and the Western Development Commission(WDC) have launched a national survey examining the impact of remote and hybrid working on employees, communities and regional economies.
The National Remote & Hybrid Work Survey is seeking responses from workers across Ireland to explore issues including commuting, work-life balance, health and wellbeing, and connections with local communities.
The research will also investigate how people spend time saved by avoiding commutes and the extent to which remote working has influenced decisions about where to live.
ATU president Dr Orla Flynn said the research would help inform national decision-making and support regional development.
“Remote and hybrid work have fundamentally reshaped how we live, work and connect, particularly in regional and rural Ireland,” she said.
The survey will build on more than two decades of WDC research into remote working, including its previous National Remote Work Survey delivered in partnership with University of Galway.
Allan Mulrooney, chief executive of the WDC, said the new research would provide an opportunity to hear directly from people about their experiences.
“Those who work remotely and hybrid know better than anyone what is working and what is not,” he said.
“The more people who take part, the stronger the evidence we can put in front of Government. That is how people’s experience becomes policy.”
The findings will cover satisfaction with work, commuting behaviour, spending on local services, community connectivity and individual wellbeing. Researchers will also use standardised measurement tools to compare wellbeing among remote and hybrid workers with the general population.
Lead researcher Dr Amaya Vega, of ATU’s Faculty of Business, said remote and hybrid working were now structural changes rather than temporary trends.
“This project will provide the up to date robust evidence needed to understand those changes and support better policy decisions for Ireland,” she said.
The survey forms the first stage of a two-year project, Connected Futures: The Economics of Remote and Hybrid Work in Ireland and its Impacts on Wellbeing, Mobility, and the Local Economy.
The project is funded under the TU RISE Programme, co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union through the ERDF Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-27.
The survey is open to remote and hybrid workers across Ireland, takes approximately 10-12 minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous.
Participants can complete the 2026 Remote Working in Ireland Survey.
