A poll by a Japanese think tank suggests that the ratio of people working remotely has dropped to about half of the ratio in 2020 when the coronavirus started spreading.

The non-profit Japan Productivity Center surveyed 1,100 people aged 20 or older.

As of July, 15.5 percent of the respondents said they worked from home. The ratio was 31.5 percent in May 2020.

The think tank says it appears companies have been asking workers to come back to the office since the government downgraded COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal influenza.

A majority of the respondents, 86.6 percent, said they were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with working remotely.

Asked whether they want to continue working from home, 86.4 percent answered they would like to keep doing so.

Murata Mizue, the executive director of Japan Telework Association, says the poll shows there is a large gap between workers who want to continue working remotely and companies who want employees to return to the office.

Murata says labor shortages have become a major issue for Japanese employers, and companies that can offer diverse work styles will have an edge in securing competent workers. Murata also says she hopes companies will use telework to boost productivity.