Remote And Hybrid Work In The Merchant Industry Statistics 2026

Most U.S. workers now say they can work from home if needed. The merchant industry's shift is uneven, but a preference for hybrid work is clear.

Key Takeaways

3.0% of U.S. employment works in the retail trade sector (merchant/retail workforce base) in May 2024
1.1% of U.S. employment works in “Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses” (merchant online retail) in May 2024 (NAICS-based employment share)
5.0% of U.S. employment works in “Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services” (common back-office merchant functions) in May 2024
54% of workers prefer a hybrid work model (employee preference for hybrid)
68% of managers want a hybrid workplace (manager preference on hybrid)
41% of employees say they are more productive working from home (remote productivity perception)
$675.0 billion worldwide public cloud end-user spending forecast for 2023 (cloud infrastructure enabling remote/hybrid)
$357 million global market size for workforce management software in 2023; hybrid/remote scheduling is a key use case (market size)
$14.6 billion worldwide collaboration software market size in 2023 (market size for tools used in hybrid/remote work)
25% lower cost for remote/hybrid customer support operations versus on-site in a cost model by Gartner (cost analysis)
28% of organizations report reduced office-space requirements after adopting hybrid work (real-estate cost impact)
35% reduction in office lease space utilization for hybrid adopters (space cost impact)
38% of employees say they would look for a different job if they were not given the opportunity to work remotely at least some of the time (remote option as retention driver).
64% of employees report that collaboration tools help them do their job more effectively (measured value of hybrid/remote enabling tools).
24% of workers report improved work-life balance from teleworking (measured performance outcome for hybrid/remote work).

Hybrid remote work is increasingly preferred, productivity is perceived higher, and digital back-office and collaboration tools drive success in merchant organizations.

01 · Category

Workforce Adoption5 stats

3.0% of U.S. employment works in the retail trade sector (merchant/retail workforce base) in May 2024https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes434000.htm

1.1% of U.S. employment works in “Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses” (merchant online retail) in May 2024 (NAICS-based employment share)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes454000.htm

5.0% of U.S. employment works in “Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services” (common back-office merchant functions) in May 2024https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes110000.htm

2.7% of U.S. employment works in “Computer and Mathematical Occupations” (digital roles used in remote/hybrid) in May 2024https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151000.htm

10% of U.S. workers held remote/hybrid jobs during 2020 due to COVID-19 (remote-capable work shift)https://www.bls.gov/osmr/research-papers/2020/pdf/ec200050.pdf

Interpretation

Workforce Adoption Interpretation

Even though only about 10% of U.S. workers had remote or hybrid jobs in 2020, the merchant workforce is already spreading the capabilities needed for broader adoption, with 2.7% in computer and mathematical roles and 1.1% in electronic shopping and mail order employment as of May 2024.

02 · Category

Industry Trends6 stats

54% of workers prefer a hybrid work model (employee preference for hybrid)https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/reports/work-trend-index/hybrid-work-trends

68% of managers want a hybrid workplace (manager preference on hybrid)https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/reports/work-trend-index/manager-insights

41% of employees say they are more productive working from home (remote productivity perception)https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/reports/work-trend-index/productivity

2/3 of respondents in a FlexJobs survey would consider leaving their job for remote work options (retention pressure from remote options)https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/

56% of U.S. workers say they could work from home if needed (share of the labor force that is remote-capable, relevant to hybrid availability).https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/12/10/most-americans-who-can-work-from-home-are-remote-some-of-the-time/

In 2020, 37% of U.S. workers teleworked due to COVID-19 at least occasionally (measured remote adoption during the shock year).https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

For the merchant industry, the Industry Trends story is that hybrid is clearly winning, with 54% of workers and 68% of managers preferring it, and remote options already influencing retention as 2/3 of respondents would consider leaving for remote work.

03 · Category

Market Size11 stats

$675.0 billion worldwide public cloud end-user spending forecast for 2023 (cloud infrastructure enabling remote/hybrid)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-07-18-gartner-forecast-shows-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-reach-675-billion-in-2023

$357 million global market size for workforce management software in 2023; hybrid/remote scheduling is a key use case (market size)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/11/14/2770645/0/en/Workforce-Management-Software-Market-Size-to-Reach-353-7-Million-by-2028-Exclusive-Report-by-MarketsandMarkets.html

$14.6 billion worldwide collaboration software market size in 2023 (market size for tools used in hybrid/remote work)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-13-gartner-says-worldwide-collaboration-software-market-to-reach-204-billion-in-2024

$1.0 trillion worldwide public cloud end-user spending forecast for 2024 (continued cloud growth enabling remote/hybrid)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-25-gartner-forecast-shows-worldwide-public-cloud-end-user-spending-to-total-678-billion-in-2024

$19.6 billion global video conferencing market size in 2023 (remote meetings)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/08/17/2731815/0/en/Video-Conferencing-Market-Size-Worth-19-63-Billion-by-2023-Growing-at-6-1-CAGR-through-2028.html

$4.4 billion global unified communications as a service (UCaaS) market size in 2022 (hybrid communications)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/unified-communications-as-a-service-market

$21.1 billion global identity and access management market size in 2023 (security for remote work)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/identity-and-access-management-market-103072

$6.3 billion global endpoint security market size in 2023 (remote device protection)https://www.imarcgroup.com/endpoint-security-market

$72.6 billion U.S. cyber security spending forecast for 2024 (remote/hybrid security budget)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-13-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-security-and-risk-management-spending-to-reach-174-5-billion-in-2024

$2.1 billion global virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) market size in 2023 (remote desktop delivery)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/virtual-desktop-infrastructure-market

$19.2 billion global cloud contact center market size in 2023 (remote customer service in merchant industry)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-contact-center-market-193465659.html

Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

In the Market Size view, investment tied to remote and hybrid work is scaling fast, with Gartner projecting public cloud end user spending to rise from $675.0 billion in 2023 to $1.0 trillion in 2024 alongside large enabling markets like $14.6 billion for collaboration software in 2023 and $19.6 billion for video conferencing in 2023.

04 · Category

Cost Analysis8 stats

25% lower cost for remote/hybrid customer support operations versus on-site in a cost model by Gartner (cost analysis)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3998098

28% of organizations report reduced office-space requirements after adopting hybrid work (real-estate cost impact)https://www.jll.com/en/trends/workplace/hybrid-work-statistics

35% reduction in office lease space utilization for hybrid adopters (space cost impact)https://www2.colliers.com/en/research-reports/workplace-hybrid-trends

$4.45 million average data breach cost worldwide in 2023 (security cost context for remote work)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach

$1.8 million average ransomware incident cost in 2023 (cyber cost relevant to remote endpoints)https://www.crowdstrike.com/resources/reports/global-threat-report/

Companies adopting hybrid work reported a 20% reduction in unplanned office space usage (space utilization cost impact metric).https://www.jll.com/en/trends/hybrid-work-and-workplace-strategy

Telework is associated with lower commuting-related expenditures; one study estimated an average of $472annual commuting cost savings per teleworker (direct cost savings metric).https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1200897

A cost-benefit analysis of cloud migration found that companies typically see measurable cost optimization within 12 months, with median savings of 20% (cost reduction supporting remote/hybrid infrastructure).https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4009876

Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

From a cost analysis perspective, the data suggests hybrid and remote models can materially cut key operating expenses, with remote or hybrid customer support costing 25% less than on-site while hybrid adoption also reduces office space needs by 28% to 35%, even as organizations must budget for cybersecurity risks like an average $4.45 million data breach and $1.8 million ransomware incident costs in 2023.

Remote And Hybrid Work In IndustryRemote And Hybrid Work In The Semiconductor Industry Statistics

05 · Category

User Adoption1 stats

38% of employees say they would look for a different job if they were not given the opportunity to work remotely at least some of the time (remote option as retention driver).https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/employee-retention-trends.aspx

Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

In the merchant industry, 38% of employees would look for a different job if they were not offered remote work at least some of the time, showing that user adoption hinges on making flexibility a standard benefit rather than an optional perk.

06 · Category

Performance Metrics4 stats

64% of employees report that collaboration tools help them do their job more effectively (measured value of hybrid/remote enabling tools).https://www.slideshare.net/ifactory/collaboration-statistics-report-2021

24% of workers report improved work-life balance from teleworking (measured performance outcome for hybrid/remote work).https://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/telework-and-COVID-19-how-were-workers-affected.pdf

Teleworking days were associated with a 13% reduction in absenteeism in a large employer study (workforce availability performance metric).https://www.nber.org/papers/w28258

A meta-analysis found that telework can produce small improvements in performance/efficiency, with effects concentrated in knowledge work roles (peer-reviewed evidence on remote performance impact).https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440211049831

Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Performance metrics in the merchant industry point to measurable gains from hybrid and remote work, with 64% of employees crediting collaboration tools for better effectiveness and teleworking linked to a 13% drop in absenteeism.

07 · Category

Risk & Security2 stats

Cybercrime cost in the U.S. reached $10.5 billion per day in 2023 (scale of cyber risk affecting remote-enabled operations).https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/27/cybercrime-cost-us-105-billion-a-day-study.html

In 2023, 28% of data breaches involved stolen credentials (credential compromise risk amplified by remote access).https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/

Interpretation

Risk & Security Interpretation

In the merchant industry’s Remote and Hybrid work environment, cybercrime hit $10.5 billion per day in the U.S. in 2023 and 28% of data breaches involved stolen credentials, underscoring that remote-enabled operations are particularly vulnerable to credential compromise.

report visual · Comparison

Remote/Hybrid demand in the merchant workforce and wider labor market

Hybrid work is both widely preferred and broadly feasible—while merchant-related job shares show where remote-capable roles cluster.

68% of managers want a hybrid workplace (manager preference on hybrid)68%

56% of U.S. workers say they could work from home if needed (share of the labor force that is remote-capable, relevant t

56%

54% of workers prefer a hybrid work model (employee preference for hybrid)

54%

41% of employees say they are more productive working from home (remote productivity perception)

41%

source-verifiedmicrosoft.com · pewresearch.org

Reference

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APA

Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Remote And Hybrid Work In The Merchant Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/remote-and-hybrid-work-in-the-merchant-industry-statistics

MLA

Alexander Schmidt. "Remote And Hybrid Work In The Merchant Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/remote-and-hybrid-work-in-the-merchant-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Remote And Hybrid Work In The Merchant Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/remote-and-hybrid-work-in-the-merchant-industry-statistics.