Japan lags the US and Europe in working from home

Fewer people in specialized careers also hinders the nation's productivity

The American and European workforces have higher percentages of jobs whose holders can do their assignments on a laptop no matter where they are. (Source photo by Kyodo and Getty Images)

SHINICHI HASHIMOTO and MOTOKAZU MATSUI, Nikkei staff writers

July 5, 2020 11:55 JST

TOKYO -- Japan trails the U.S. and Europe when it comes to employees ditching the office to work from home, and the gap is likely to widen now that Japan has lifted its COVID-19 emergency and workers who did set up shop in their dining rooms are heading back to their cubicles.