By DON FENLEY

The Johnson City metro area doesn’t have the most people who work from home but it does have NE TN’s highest labor force share. And its WFH labor force share is the second highest in East TN. The Cleveland metro area has the highest share in East Tenn.

Census data show there’s 26,506 Tri-Cities area residents working for home. That’s about 10% of the total labor force. While the Johnson City metro area has the highest share, the Kingsport-Bristol has the most WFH workers. Here’s the number of workers and workforce share in our region’s metro areas.

Kingsport-Bristol – 13,643, 10.3%

Johnson City – 12,595 – 13.4%

Greeneville – 3,090 – 10%

Here’s how the rest of the metro regions in East TN look:

Knoxville – 60,205, 13.2%

Chattanooga – 36,264, 13%

Cleveland – 8,829, 15%

Morristown – 4,302, 7.6%

Sevierville – 3,347, 6.8%

The WFH share in NE TN has increased every year since 2019, while it has dipped in the Knoxville and Chattanooga areas.

WFH is becoming an issue – especially in metro areas – because some employers are telling workers to come back to the office or quit. For areas like the Tri-Cities, it’s also a factor in the region’s ability to attract new residents – those whose remote worker status doesn’t include a nearby office.

While the number of fully remote jobs might decrease, work from home is not entirely going away; instead, the trend is shifting towards hybrid work models where employees split their time between the office and home, meaning remote work will probably remain a significant part of the modern workplace.

Key points about the future of work from home:

• Hybrid model dominance:

Most companies are adopting hybrid work models, where employees come into the office some days and work remotely on others.

• Decreased fully remote jobs:

Some companies are pushing for more in-office presence, leading to a decline in fully remote positions.

• Technological advancements:

Continued technological development will support remote work by enabling efficient collaboration and communication across distances.

• Employee expectations:

Many employees now expect some level of flexibility in their work arrangements, including remote work options.

Categories: LABOR MARKET