An annual survey of 512 business owners and workforce decision-makers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, measuring what remote, hybrid and in-office models deliver on four counts: cost, productivity, retention and satisfaction.
The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing is an annual report commissioned by BruntWork, a global outsourcing and offshore staffing provider, and fielded and published by Miss Investigate. The 2026 edition surveyed 512 verified business owners and workforce decision-makers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, comparing fully remote and offshore teams, hybrid arrangements and full-time in-office staffing on cost, productivity, retention and satisfaction.
Remote and offshore teams led every operational measure in this year's survey; the in-office model trailed on all of them.
| Current primary workforce model | Share of the 512 firms surveyed |
|---|---|
| Fully remote / offshore teams | 38.7% |
| Hybrid | 41.2% |
| Full in-office | 20.1% |
Figure 1 — Current primary workforce model, share of firms. n=512. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
Fully in-office is now the minority position: 79.9% of the firms surveyed run some or all of their team remotely. The sections below test whether the majority is right.
Remote and offshore teams beat hybrid and in-office on all four operational metrics measured.
Improvement in the prior 12 months% of each model's users
Figure 2 — Cost per hire, productivity, time-to-fill and retention improvement by workforce model. n=512. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Reported improvement, prior 12 months | Remote / offshore | Hybrid | In-office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduced cost per hire | 68.4% | 31.7% | 8.3% |
| Increased productivity | 61.9% | 44.2% | 12.6% |
| Faster time-to-fill roles | 57.3% | 29.8% | 11.4% |
| Improved staff retention | 54.6% | 38.1% | 9.7% |
| "Which model is easiest to implement in the first 90 days?" | Share choosing it |
|---|---|
| Hybrid | 47.6% |
| Remote / offshore | 36.2% |
| In-office | 16.2% |
Hybrid takes one result off the leader. Asked which model is easiest to implement in the first 90 days, 47.6% chose hybrid, 36.2% chose remote/offshore, and 16.2% chose in-office. Ease of setup is where hybrid's case starts and, in this data, where it ends.
On every operating metric that shows up in the P&L — hiring cost, productivity, speed, retention — remote and offshore teams lead by 17 points or more.
Satisfaction tracks the model: 84.3% of remote-first owners are satisfied, against 41.8% of in-office owners.
Satisfaction with current model% of each model's users
Figure 3 — Satisfaction and dissatisfaction with current workforce model. n=512. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Model | Satisfied | Dissatisfied |
|---|---|---|
| Remote / offshore | 84.3% | 6.2% |
| Hybrid | 62.7% | 18.9% |
| In-office | 41.8% | 37.4% |
In-office firms are six times more likely to be dissatisfied with their own model than remote-first firms are with theirs. A model that leaves 37.4% of its own users dissatisfied is a churn risk, not a strategy.
Yes. Hybrid saves slightly more in the first six months; remote overtakes it between months 6 and 12 and the gap widens every period after.
Average reported payroll savings vs previous modelby time on the model
Figure 4 — Average reported payroll savings by time on the model. n=512. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Time on model | Remote / offshore | Hybrid | In-office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 11.3% | 12.1% | 1.9% |
| 6–12 months | 19.7% | 14.2% | 1.8% |
| 1–2 years | 27.4% | 15.8% | 1.6% |
| 2+ years | 34.6% | 16.3% | 1.7% |
Hybrid starts 0.8 points ahead in the first six months, then flattens near 16%. Remote crosses it between months 6 and 12 and keeps climbing: the gap is 5.5 points at one year and 18.3 points at two. In-office savings never leave the 1.6–1.9% band.
Remote savings compound; hybrid savings plateau. By year two the remote model saves more than twice what hybrid does.
Owners see it first: 71.2% of remote-first owners report a material margin improvement in their area of the business.
Material improvement reported in own arearemote-first firms, by role
Figure 5 — Improvement reported by stakeholder group among remote-first firms. n=198. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Stakeholder group | Reporting material improvement |
|---|---|
| Owners / CEOs (margins) | 71.2% |
| Operations (capacity) | 66.8% |
| Finance (cost control) | 63.4% |
| HR (hiring pipeline) | 58.9% |
The benefit is not confined to one desk: every stakeholder group in remote-first firms reports improvement at 58.9% or higher. When margins, capacity, cost control and hiring all move together, the model is doing the work.
Almost never: 2.1% of full in-office firms say the model reduced their staffing costs.
Outcomes reported by full in-office firms% agreeing
Figure 6 — Outcomes reported by fully in-office firms. n=103. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Outcome | In-office firms agreeing |
|---|---|
| Reduced overall staffing costs | 2.1% |
| Faster hiring | 7.4% |
| Improved retention | 9.7% |
| Would recommend the model | 18.6% |
Fewer than 1 in 5 firms running a full return-to-office would recommend it, and 1 in 48 says it saved money. The firms with the most direct experience of the model are its weakest advocates.
Firms with 10–50 employees report the highest return: 4.7× on every dollar of offshore staffing spend.
Reported return per $1 of offshore staffing spendremote-first firms, by company size
Figure 7 — Reported ROI multiple on offshore staffing spend by company size. n=198 remote-first firms. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Company size | Reported ROI multiple |
|---|---|
| 10–50 employees | 4.7× |
| 51–200 employees | 3.9× |
| 201–500 employees | 3.2× |
| 2–9 employees | 2.8× |
The sweet spot is the 10–50 employee firm: big enough to delegate whole functions offshore, small enough that every saved dollar shows in the owner's margin. Every segment reports a positive multiple; none reports below 2.8×.
76.8% plan to expand offshore or remote roles in the next 12 months, and AI is raising the value of those roles rather than replacing them.
The next 12–24 months% agreeing
Figure 8 — Expansion plans and AI impact, next 12–24 months. n=512 (RTO item: n=103 in-office firms). The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Statement | Agree |
|---|---|
| We plan to expand offshore or remote roles in the next 12 months | 76.8% |
| AI tools have increased the value of our offshore or remote staff | 63.1% |
| We expect to still be fully in-office by 2028 (in-office firms only) | 8.9% |
Even the firms holding out don't expect to hold out: 8.9% of today's in-office firms expect to still be fully in-office by 2028. The 2027 edition of this report will track that number.
We asked, verbatim: "Knowing what you know now, would you choose the same workforce model again?"
"Would you choose the same model again?"% answering yes
Figure 9 — Share who would choose their current workforce model again. n=512. The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026, Miss Investigate for BruntWork.
| Model | Would choose it again |
|---|---|
| Remote / offshore | 91.4% |
| Hybrid | 64.7% |
| In-office | 37.2% |
No, they don't regret it: 91.4% of remote-first owners would make the same call again. 62.8% of in-office owners would not.
Related research: Trust and the Remote Team · AI and the Small Business Owner · all studies · Commissioned by BruntWork, offshore staffing
The State of Remote Work & Outsourcing 2026 was commissioned by BruntWork and fielded by Miss Investigate as an online survey of 512 business owners and workforce decision-makers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia in August 2026.
Respondents qualified if they were personally responsible for hiring or workforce-model decisions at a company with 2 to 500 employees and had made at least one staffing decision in the prior 12 months. 71.3% had direct operating experience with two or more workforce models.
All figures are self-reported perceptions, not audited financial data. Sample composition: 2–9 employees 18.2%, 10–50 employees 41.4%, 51–200 employees 26.8%, 201–500 employees 13.6%. Margin of error ±4.3% at 95% confidence. The full survey instrument and data tables are available on request from research@missinvestigate.com.
Commissioned by BruntWork. Fielded and published by Miss Investigate. Figures are self-reported perceptions. Full question wording available on request.
Fully remote and offshore teams led all four operational metrics: 68.4% cut cost per hire, 61.9% raised productivity, 57.3% filled roles faster and 54.6% improved retention. Hybrid led on one measure only — ease of implementation in the first 90 days.
Reported payroll savings on remote models average 11.3% in the first six months and 34.6% after two years. 2.1% of fully in-office firms say their model reduced staffing costs.
84.3% of remote-first owners are satisfied with their model, against 62.7% of hybrid firms and 41.8% of in-office firms. Dissatisfaction runs 6.2%, 18.9% and 37.4% respectively.
Remote-first firms report between 2.8× and 4.7× return per dollar of offshore staffing spend. Firms with 10–50 employees report the highest multiple at 4.7×.
91.4% of remote-first owners say they would choose the same workforce model again. Among fully in-office firms, 37.2% say the same.
Miss Investigate fielded the survey of 512 verified business owners and decision-makers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, commissioned by BruntWork. Margin of error is ±4.3% at 95% confidence.
Commission a study like this one: verified respondents, published methodology, and a finding journalists can quote. If the data doesn't say it, we don't publish it.
© 2026 BruntWork Singapore Pte Ltd. Published by Miss Investigate. · Last updated September 2026 · Miss Investigate Research