The project is a continuation of the previous government assignment where the authority compiled knowledge about the effect of remote work on economic equality after the COVID-19 pandemic. The new initiative will take a broader approach to the issues and examine how remote work affects both women and men from a health and equality perspective.
– Remote work has fundamentally changed working life. We need to understand more about how it affects people’s health and living situation, and how employers can create sustainable forms of remote work, says Sara Göransson, process-leading analyst at the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Knowledge.
The authors are Karolina Parding, professor at the Department of Economics, Technology, Art and Society, Luleå University of Technology, and Marina Heiden, professor at the Academy of Health and Working Life at the University of Gävle.
Lack of knowledge about how remote work affects health
Research shows that remote work can contribute to a better work-life balance, but also carries risks such as higher workload, social isolation and lack of organizational support. At the same time, studies indicate that women and men are affected in different ways – something that can reinforce existing inequalities in working life.
Despite increased knowledge in recent years, there is a lack of a comprehensive picture of how remote work affects health and gender equality in Sweden. Therefore, there is a need to compile current research and analyze Swedish data to provide decision-makers and employers with a stable knowledge base.
Completed in spring 2027
The work will result in a knowledge compilation and a quantitative analysis of Swedish data. The aim is to produce an evidence-based basis that can be used to develop more equitable, healthy and sustainable strategies for remote work. The results are planned to be published in March 2027.