Is the back-to-office push accelerating?
The number of Canadians commuting to work rose for the fourth consecutive year, according to a Statistics Canada report. The data shows a continuing decline in remote work, with the proportion of employed people primarily working from home falling to 17.4% in May 2025, down from 18.7% a year earlier.
Those who worked exclusively outside the home now account for 77.6% of employed Canadians, an increase of one percentage point from May 2024. The share of hybrid workers, who divide their time between home and the office, also rose to 5.1% in May from 4.8% a year earlier. This shift reflects a trend of employees spending more time in the workplace, following stricter return-to-office policies announced by some private sector companies and the Ontario government.
The share of commuters using a car, truck, or van fell slightly to 80.9%, continuing a decline that began in May 2022. Meanwhile, the proportion of commuters taking public transit or active transportation—walking or cycling—rose to 18.2% in May 2025. This increase was driven by public transit commuters, who reached 11.9%.
Jon MacMull of the Canadian Urban Transit Association told the Canadian Press that the growth was most notable in major cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Toronto remains the city with the longest average commute among major urban centers, at 34.9 minutes.
The report also highlighted disparities in commute times. Racialized population groups face longer average commutes, with South Asian, Black, and Chinese commuters spending more than 30 minutes on average, compared with 25 minutes for non-racialized, non-Indigenous commuters. Data further shows that 20.4% of West Asian, 15.9% of South Asian, and 15.7% of Latin American commuters endure trips of an hour or longer, compared with 8.0% of non-racialized, non-Indigenous workers.
MacMull said continued investment in transit is essential to reducing commute times. “It is critical that as our cities grow, we invest in transit and higher-order levels of transit to provide an affordable option for people,” he said.
What are your thoughts on the recent data? Share your insights in the comments below.
