Remote work leaves support staff behind

As the economy adapts to a new era powered by remote work, some jobs — especially certain low-paying support positions — are at risk of not coming back at all, even in light of low unemployment.

Why it matters: We're still grappling with the ramifications from the seismic economic changes brought by the pandemic.

• Meanwhile, large swaths of the workforce are still working remotely, which has negative implications for jobs reliant on office worker traffic.

Driving the news: Facebook parent Meta is reducing contract positions at several transportation firms that shuttled workers to its offices, CNBC reported Friday.

• WeDriveU is cutting nearly 100 people — including drivers, dispatchers and managers — while Hallcon Corporation is laying off 43.

Threat level: Jobs that relied upon people coming to the office regularly are at the most risk.

• Hotels have cut the frequency of housekeeping, reducing their need for cleaning services; while office cafeterias need fewer staffers to handle the lunch rush.

What they're saying: The trend is especially acute at offices in sectors that have bet big on remote work, Lightcast senior economist Rucha Vankudre tells Axios.

• "It's jobs like surveillance officer, mailroom worker, office technician, office manager, administrative assistant — all of the jobs that make these large tech and finance offices work are really where we think remote work is going to work against us," Vankudre says.

Zoom in: Many of these positions do not require a college degree, meaning their elimination tends to hit low-income folks the hardest.

• The number of employed civilians 25-and-up, with only a high school diploma, fell by 3.5% from pre-pandemic September 2019 to September 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• At the same time, the number of 25-and-up employed civilians with a college degree rose by 7.9%.

The bottom line: Remote work is rattling support staff that previously relied heavily on people commuting to the workplace.