The number of Canadians commuting to work has increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to a report published on August 26 by Statistics Canada.
Even those who work both from home and at the office now spend more time at the latter than the former.
From an automotive perspective, one finding of the study is particularly attention-worthy: the primary mode of transportation used by those workers once again commuting remains the car.
The government agency found that those primarily working from home in May, the last month of data collection, accounted for 17.4 percent of the workforce, compared to 18.7 percent in May 2024.
100% at the office
Those who worked exclusively outside the home represented 77.6 percent of the workforce in May, a one-percentage-point increase from the previous year. The percentage of hybrid workers—who work both from home and at the office—was 5.1 percent in May, up from 4.8 percent previously.
The Ottawa-Gatineau region saw the largest increase in the number of workers returning to the office this year, with a rise of nearly 10 percent. The rate there is now comparable to Toronto's, at 76 percent.
Public transit: a slight increase
The study also found that the proportion of workers primarily using a personal vehicle to get to work had dropped slightly to 80.9 percent in May, down from 81.5 percent a year earlier. The proportion of those using public transit, meanwhile, increased from 11.4 to 11.9 percent. Slightly more people than last year, 6.2 percent versus 6.0, walk or bike to work.
Another fun fact: people who take public transit generally have the longest commute, at 44 minutes on average. This compares to 25 minutes for those who use their vehicle, and 15 minutes for those who walk or bike. Also not surprising is the fact that Toronto has the longest average commute time, at 34.9 minutes per person.