Remote working statistics

2.9 million Australians plan to work remotely overseas in 2023.

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Susannah Binsted

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Joselle Delos Reyes

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Not all workers are satisfied with working from home, with a growing number of Aussies planning to take advantage of flexible work arrangements by working overseas.

Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker (CST), a monthly survey of around 1,000 adults, reveals 14% of Australians plan to work remotely overseas this year, up from 7% last year. That's the equivalent of 2.9 million people.

This means a large number of Aussies will be utilising travel money cards or money transfer services to pay for living expenses.

Quick summary

  • 29% of Australian adults worked remotely in 2022.
  • Over a quarter (26%) worked remotely domestically.
  • 7% worked overseas in 2022 and 14% plan to work overseas in 2023.
  • Gen Y is driving the remote working trend with 44% saying they worked remotely in 2022 either domestically or overseas.
  • However, gen Z is most likely to work remotely overseas (13%), followed by gen Y (10%).
  • The most popular countries for Aussie remote workers are New Zealand (19%), Thailand (16%), Indonesia (13%), the Philippines (10%) and the UK (9%).

Did you work remotely in 2022?

Did you work remotely in 2022?
ResponseYes, domesticallyYes, overseasYes, both domestically and overseas
Remote working2343
Source: Finder's CST, a monthly survey of over 1,000 Australian adults

How many Aussie adults worked remotely in 2022?

  • 29% of Australian adults worked remotely in 2022.
  • Over a quarter (26%) worked remotely domestically while 7% worked overseas.
  • In 2022, Aussies who worked remotely from another country did so for an average of 6.5 weeks.
  • Men were slightly more likely than women to work remotely (31% vs 28%) and were also more likely to work overseas (8% vs 5%).
  • Gen Y is driving the remote working trend with 44% saying they worked remotely in 2022. This is followed by over a third of gen Z (36%), over a quarter of gen X (27%) and just 7% of baby boomers.
  • However, gen Z is most likely to work remotely overseas (13%), followed by gen Y (10%) and just 3% of gen X and 1% of baby boomers.
  • The most popular countries for Aussie remote workers are New Zealand (19%), Thailand (16%), Indonesia (13%), the Philippines (10%), the UK (9%), Japan (7%), the US (7%), Canada (7%) and Germany (6%).

Remote working in 2022 by generation

Remote working in 2022 by generation
GenerationOverseasDomestically
Baby Boomers16
Gen X325
Gen Y1040
Gen Z1333
Source: Finder's CST, a monthly survey of over 1,000 Australian adults.

Remote working abroad to jump in 2023

  • 14% of Australians, the equivalent of 2.9 million people, plan to work remotely overseas this year, up from 7% last year.
  • On average, they also plan to work overseas for longer – just over 7 weeks, up from 6.5 in 2022.
  • 16% of men plan to work abroad this year compared to 13% of women.
  • Over a fifth of gen Z (22%) and gen Y (21%) plan to work remotely overseas compared to 10% of gen X and just 3% of baby boomers.
  • New Zealand is the top destination for overseas workers in 2023 (20%), followed by the US (14%), Thailand (10%), Japan (9%), the UK (8%), the Philippines (7%), Italy, Indonesia and Canada (5% each).

Percentage planning to work remotely overseas in 2023

Percentage planning to work remotely overseas in 2023
Total population14%
Baby Boomers3
Gen X10
Gen Y21
Gen Z22
Source: Finder's CST, a monthly survey of over a 1,000 Australian adults.
Top 20 countries for remote workers 2022 vs 2023
Rank20222023
1New ZealandNew Zealand
2ThailandUSA
3IndonesiaThailand
4The PhilippinesJapan
5The UKThe UK
6JapanThe Philippines
7USAItaly
8CanadaIndonesia
9GermanyCanada
10IndiaSouth Africa
11FranceIndia
12South AfricaPortugal
13MalaysiaSingapore
14South KoreaGermany
15Sri LankaSpain
16SingaporeHong Kong
17Hong KongVietnam
18ChinaFrance
19VietnamChina
20SpainMalaysia
Source: Finder's CST, a monthly survey of 1,000 Australian adults.

Remote working policies

  • Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) said their place of employment allows them to work remotely but only within Australia. Nearly 1 in 10 (9%) said they can work remotely domestically or overseas.
  • On average, employees who are aware of their company's policy said they are able to work remotely for up to 8 weeks a year.
  • However, over a third of respondents (35%) said their workplace does not have a remote working policy.

Does your company have a remote working policy?

Does your company have a remote working policy?
Response%
Yes, we can work remotely but only within Australia17
Yes, we can work remotely domestically and overseas9
Unsure8
No35
Source: Finder's CST, a monthly survey of over a 1,000 Australian adults.

What to consider when planning to work abroad

  • Review your employer's remote working policy to make sure you can work overseas before you make non-refundable purchases.
  • Compare travel card options to international money transfer providers so you don't pay unnecessary fees and exchange mark-ups.
  • Understand any visa requirements for working in another country.
  • Consider purchasing travel insurance to give you peace of mind in case something goes wrong.
  • Book your flight, train or bus early to help you secure a cheaper rate, especially if you plan with enough time to take advantage of sales events.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Joselle Delos Reyes as part of our fact-checking process.
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Head of Finder Awards
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Susannah Binsted is the head of the Finder Awards program. Previously she was the head of public relations for the international division at Finder. Susannah has a Bachelor of Communication and a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. See full bio

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