Welcome
The REWORK project investigates whether remote working can significantly impact both the migration of individuals from metropolitan areas to peripheral regions and the labour force participation rate of women. The extent of this effect is hypothesised to depend on the level of state involvement in promoting remote work as a standard form of employment.
Main Objective
Regional convergence & women's labour market activity
Assessing the prospect of remote working to spur convergence in regional and local labour markets and to increase the activity rate among women with children under the age of six.
Key Innovation
Original conjoint survey across 6 EU countries
New primary survey data collected in France, Italy, Sweden, Romania, Poland and the Netherlands, using a conjoint experiment design — first of its kind in this regional context.
Pre-registration: The study was preregistered on
February 12, 2026, at AsPredicted (Wharton Credibility Lab, University of Pennsylvania).
View pre-registration →
About the Project
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the adoption of digital and remote work practices, leading to significant changes in societal attitudes. This shift has granted employees greater control over their working hours and the freedom to choose their place of residence, while allowing employers to tap into previously inactive or marginalised segments of the labour market.
Given European markets' ageing population and labour shortages, remote work can activate the workforce, reduce social inequalities, and support local labour market development. The REWORK project evaluates the influence of remote work on the activation of women and the spatial mobility of young families.
Core Hypotheses
Hypothesis 1 — Regional Mobility
Does remote work drive relocation from urban to peripheral areas?
Does the implementation of remote work solutions in the post-pandemic era encourage individuals aged 25–49 to relocate from urban areas to peripheral regions?
Hypothesis 2 — Women's Participation
Does remote work motivate mothers to increase workforce participation?
Does remote work motivate women with children under the age of six to increase their professional activity — and equally so in peripheral regions as in metropolitan areas?
Geographical Focus
🇫🇷 France
🇮🇹 Italy
🇸🇪 Sweden
🇷🇴 Romania
🇵🇱 Poland
🇳🇱 Netherlands
Countries selected based on their post-pandemic experiences in promoting work-from-home opportunities for mothers with young children and observations of regional migration patterns.
Why It Matters
Promoting women's professional engagement is a priority and key objective of the EU's economic policy. Increased female labour force participation fosters diversity and empowers women to support themselves, their families, and their communities. Furthermore, technological and social changes associated with remote work can serve as drivers of regional development and mitigate the negative consequences of urbanisation.
Research Tasks & Methodology
The project consists of five research tasks, combining primary and secondary empirical data using quantitative and qualitative methods. The main data source is a conjoint experiment survey conducted in six EU countries.
Task 1
Comparing remote working arrangements across EU countries
Systematic cross-country comparison of remote work uptake, regulation, and labour market outcomes across selected EU member states.
Task 2
Designing and conducting a conjoint survey
Development and implementation of an original conjoint experiment survey in France, Italy, Sweden, Romania, Poland and the Netherlands.
Task 3
Evaluating employee motivation to reside in peripheral areas
Investigating whether and how remote work motivates individuals aged 25–49 to relocate from metropolitan centres to peripheral regions.
Task 4
Investigating mothers' motivation to increase workforce participation
Examining how remote work affects professional activation of women with young children (under age 6) across different regional contexts.
Task 5
Determining whether remote work activates women equally across regions
Comparative assessment of remote work's potential to activate women in peripheral regions versus metropolitan areas.
Project Timeline
October 2024
Project launch · Literature review and comparative EU analysis begins
2025
Conjoint survey design and fieldwork · First publications · EAEPE Athens conference
February 12, 2026
Study preregistered at AsPredicted (Wharton Credibility Lab, University of Pennsylvania)
2026
Survey data analysis · Regional comparative study · EAEPE Lausanne special session
September 2027
Project completion · Final publications · Policy recommendations · NCN final report
Project Team
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek
Principal Investigator
Sławomir Kuźmar
Investigator
Wiktoria Domagała
Investigator
Julia Jastrząbek
Investigator
Rick Dey
Student Research Assistant
Poznań University of Economics and Business
Publications
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek, Sławomir Kuźmar & David Bole Published 2026
Will Remote Work Drive a New Wave of Suburbanisation in Poland? Analysing the Relocation Preferences of Polish Office Employees.
Applied Geography, 186, 103848.
DOI →
Sławomir Kuźmar Published 2026
Relocation Preferences in the Era of Work From Home: Theoretical Framework.
Ekonomia i Prawo. Economics and Law, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 23–42.
DOI →
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek & Sławomir Kuźmar Under review
Remote Work in Poland: Socio-Economic Drivers and Preferences.
Working paper.
Wiktoria Domagała & Julia Jastrząbek Under review
Advancing Gender Equality through EU Law: A Comprehensive Review.
Working paper.
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek 2025
Niedobory siły roboczej i kompetencji na europejskim rynku pracy w erze digitalizacji: trendy, prognozy, wyzwania.
Bezpieczeństwo społeczne i gospodarcze w perspektywie krajowej i europejskiej, Studia BAS, 1(81) 2025, s. 77–102.
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek Under review
Praca z domu jako instrument aktywizacji kobiet na europejskim rynku pracy – wnioski z przeglądu danych.
Working paper.
Conference Presentations
Sławomir Kuźmar — "Preferencje dotyczące pracy zdalnej a decyzje o relokacji: konceptualizacja teoretyczna", VIII Konferencja naukowa z cyklu Instytucje w teorii i praktyce, Toruń, 11–12 September 2025.
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek — "Conjoint survey experiment: Empowering Women Through Remote Work", 37th Annual EAEPE Conference, Athens, 24–26 September 2025.
Sławomir Kuźmar — "Remote Work and Relocation Preferences: A Theoretical Conceptualization", 37th Annual EAEPE Conference, Athens, 24–26 September 2025.
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek, Michał Pilc, Sławomir Kuźmar, Wiktoria Domagała, Julia Jastrząbek — "Atrakcyjność pracy zdalnej wśród matek. Wyniki pilotażu we Francji, Polsce, Rumunii, Szwecji i Włoszech", XI Kongres Ekonomistów Polskich, 4–5 December 2025.
Sławomir Kuźmar — "From Core to Periphery? Assessing Remote Work's Potential to Rebalance EU Regional Development", ECOS Conference, Brno, 26–27 March 2026.
Special Session (organised by the REWORK team) — "Gender, Labour, and Technological Changes: Feminist and Heterodox Perspectives on Changing Labour Markets", 38th EAEPE Annual Conference 2026, Lausanne, Switzerland, 9–11 September 2026.
International Consultations
The project involves ongoing scientific consultations with leading international researchers in labour economics, political science, and gender studies.
14 July 2025 · 12:00–13:00 CEST · Hybrid / Meeting Room 4-98
Brown Bag Lunch — International Labour Organization (ILO)
"Consultation on Project REWORK: Can REemote WOrking make labour maRKets more inclusive?"
Guest Speakers: Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek (Associate Professor, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland) · Michał Pilc (Assistant Professor, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Poland)
Moderator: Pawel Gmyrek (Senior Researcher, ILO Research Department)
April 9, 2025 & January 11, 2026
James Druckman — University of Rochester, USA
Online consultations on survey design for the study on women (April 2025) and relocation study (January 2026).
February 5, 2026
Yana van der Meulen Rodgers — Rutgers University, USA
Online consultation on the study on women and labour market participation.
March 20, 2026
CBP Regional and Entrepreneurship Webinar — Aston Business School, UK
Participation in webinar at Centre for Business Prosperity (Aston University, Birmingham), including presentation: "Relocation Intentions in the Remote Work Era: Evidence from Hybrid Choice Model Approach" (Sławomir Kuźmar).
March 16–20, 2026
Montpellier Business School — International Week
Scientific consultations during International Week, Montpellier Business School, France (Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek).