The pandemic opened many employees’ eyes to the potential of remote working for the first time. Now that restrictions have ended (in the UK, at least), not everyone has been keen to head straight back to the office. In fact, many workers are keen to make the remote working lifestyle a permanent fixture.

According to a RADA Business survey of 3,000 professionals in the second half of 2021, 45% of respondents reported that they were either very or extremely interested in working remotely on a permanent basis post-pandemic. Younger workers were particularly keen to work from home, with 61% of 16-24-year-olds and 51% of 25-34-year-olds in favour of it. Meanwhile, workers aged 35-44 were keener than any other age group to work from home fulltime.

Similar findings have been reported around the world. In Spain, 49.7% of the workforce worked from home during the country’s ‘state of alarm’ (lockdown), with 48.8% of businesses using remote working. Now, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), 30.4% of people whose job allows them to work fully from home would like to do so fulltime post-pandemic. A further 31.5% would like to work from home every day with the occasional visit to the office thrown in for good measure. On average, those who can work fully from home want to do so for 4.3 days per week, with just 0.2% in favour of returning to the office fulltime.

“Being free from a geographic tie to the office opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It means that workers need only a decent internet connection and an appropriate degree of privacy, then they can work from wherever they choose – including from whichever country they choose.”

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director of Taylor Wimpey España

Working from Spain is, for some, now a realistic possibility. The daily commute can be replaced with opening the shutters to flood the home office with Mediterranean sunshine. And with only an hour’s time difference between Spain and the UK, there are no issues around awkward time zones for video calls and virtual meetings.

The cost of living in Spain is a key part of the appeal. In Numbeo’s 2022 Cost of Living Index, the UK ranked as the 27th most expensive country in the world. Spain came in at a far more affordable 46th place.

Property prices in Spain are significantly more affordable than those of comparable homes in the UK. At Pier 2, from leading Spanish home builder Taylor Wimpey España, for example, prices start from €414,000 plus VAT for a key-ready apartment providing sea views out across Sotogrande Marina. As well as the spectacular views, the homes come with a communal swimming pool and landscaped gardens.