Finance

Many workers would take a pay cut to work from home

Published

4 months ago

February 7, 2025

Coroimage | Moment | Getty Images

Many workers value remote work to such a degree that they’d take a pay cut to be able to work from home, even on a part-time basis, studies show.

The prevalence of remote work ballooned during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many experienced telework perhaps for the first time in their careers; employees cite work-life balance as by far the biggest perceived benefit, according to Pew Research Center.

Some researchers have quantified the financial value workers assign to telework.

For example, about 40% of workers say they’d accept a pay cut of at least 5% to keep their remote job, according to a recent study by researchers at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

About 9% would trade at least 20% of their salaries to preserve telework, said researchers, who polled more than 2,000 workers.

We're in the 7th round of the return to office prize fight, says Korn Ferry's Alan Guarino

Put another way, workers see the ability to work from home — even two or three days a week — as equivalent to getting a raise, according to Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University who studies workplace management practices.

Data that Bloom has collected in recent years suggests the average worker equates remote work to about an 8% raise, he said.

“That figure seems remarkably stable” over time, Bloom said in an e-mail.

“For some subsets of workers you can find higher numbers,” relative to the pay cut they would accept, Bloom said.

For example, a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper published in January that looked at workers predominantly in the technology field found they’d accept an average 25% pay cut for a job that offers fully or partially remote work.

“The reality is: It is a very attractive feature of a job,” said Zoe Cullen, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, who co-authored the NBER research.

The paper examined data on almost 1,400 workers from the U.S. tech sector. The average person was 32 years old, and had about seven years of work experience. Researchers gathered data on the job offers individuals receive and the jobs they ultimately choose, with the average gig offering $239,000 a year in total compensation.

Of course, not all Americans prefer out-of-office work.

About 41% of workers with the ability to telework — but who rarely do — say in-office work helps them feel more connected to co-workers, and 30% think in-person work helps with mentoring opportunities, according to Pew Research Center.

Working from home has also waned from its pandemic-era peak.

Big companies like Amazon, AT&T, Boeing, Dell Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, UPS and The Washington Post have initiated return-to-office mandates for at least some employees.

President Donald Trump also issued an order Jan. 20 to terminate remote work for federal employees and require full-time in-office attendance, with some exceptions.

That said, on a national scale, employers don’t seem to be retrenching en masse, according to labor economists.

The number of paid days worked from home during the workweek has held steady for the past two years, at between 25% and 30% — more than triple the pre-Covid rate, according to WFH Research.

Employees aren’t the only ones who get a benefit: Remote work is also a profitable arrangement for businesses, according to labor economists.

For example, employers may save money on real estate by downsizing office space. They may also hire job candidates from across the country, potentially at a lower relative salary, depending on geography.

Workers with the ability to work from home also tend to quit less frequently, thereby reducing company spending on expensive functions like hiring, recruitment and training, Bloom said.

Finance

Israel-Iran attacks and the 2 other things that drove the stock market this week

Published

4 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Business Finance News

Finance

Uranium as big play due to AI-driven energy demand

Published

5 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Business Finance News

Uranium is having a “glow up” moment… will it last?

The uranium trade’s shelf life may last years.

According to Sprott Asset Management CEO John Ciampaglia, a “real shift” upward is underway due to increasing global energy demand — particularly as major tech companies look to power artificial intelligence data centers.

“We’ve been talking about uranium and nuclear energy non-stop for four years at Sprott, and we’ve been incredibly bullish on the segment,” he told CNBC’s “ETF Edge” this week.

Ciampaglia’s firm runs the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (SRUUF), which Morningstar ranks as the world’s largest physical uranium fund. It’s up 22% over the past two months.

The firm is also behind the Sprott Uranium Miners ETF (URNM), which is up almost 38% over the past two months. The Sprott website lists Cameco and NAC Kazatomprom JSC as the top two holdings in the fund as of June 12.

“It’s [uranium] a reliable form of energy. It has zero greenhouse gases. It has a very good long-term track record,” Ciampaglia said. “It provides a lot of electricity on a large scale, and that’s right now what the grid is calling for.”

Ciampaglia finds attitudes are changing toward nuclear energy because it offers energy security with a low carbon footprint. Uranium is “incredibly energy-dense” compared to most fossil fuels, he said, which makes it a promising option to ensure energy security.

He cited the 2022 energy crisis in Europe after Russia cut its oil supply to the region and April’s grid failure in Spain and Portugal as cases for more secure energy sources.

“We think this trend is long term and secular and durable,” Ciampaglia said. “With the exception of Germany, I think every country around the world has flipped back to nuclear power, which is a very powerful signal.”

‘You need reliable power’

VanEck CEO Jan van Eck is also heavily involved in the uranium space.

“You need reliable power,” he said. “These data centers can’t go down for a fraction of a second. They need to be running all the time.”

His firm is behind the VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR), which is up about 42% over the past two months. According to VanEck’s website as of June 12, its top three holdings are Oklo, Nuscale Power and Constellation Energy.

But he contends there’s a potential downside to the uranium trade: Building new nuclear power plants can take years.

“What’s going to happen in the meantime?” Van Eck said. “Investors are not patient, as we know.”

Van Eck also thinks it’s possible the Trump administration’s positive attitude toward nuclear power could fast track development.

He highlighted nuclear technology company Oklo during the interview. Its shares soared on Wednesday after the company announced it was anticipating a deal with the Air Force to supply nuclear power to a base in Alaska.

The agreement came not long after President Donald Trump in May signed a series of executive orders to rework the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, expedite new reactor construction and expand the domestic uranium industry.

“Trump controls federal land, so that’s not a NIMBY [not in my backyard] kind of potential risk,” said Van Eck. “They’re going to leverage that hard to start to show the safety of these newer, smaller technologies.”

Finance

Amazon is selling an $800 portable power station for $550, and shoppers 'love the mobile design and durability'

Published

15 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Business Finance News

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Camping is a fun summer activity. What’s not fun is having no access to electricity. You can’t charge your phone, watch TV, or make your morning cup of coffee. Thankfully, portable power stations allow you to do all that and more. It’s literally like bringing along a giant battery for all of your electronics. Portable power stations are also good to have around your home in case of power outages.

There’s just the problem of price. Portable power stations are notoriously expensive, especially ones that have a larger energy storage capacity. The good news is that we were able to find a solid deal on a 1,056-watt-hour (or 1 kilowatt-hour) power station. This $800 Anker Solix C1000 Portable Power Station is $550 at Amazon for a limited time. At 31% off, you’re saving $250.

Anker Solix C1000 Portable Power Station, $550 (was $800) at Amazon

The Anker Solix C1000 features a power output of 1,800 watts, making it strong enough to handle multiple electronics and small appliances at once. It has 11total power ports. You get two USB-A and USB-C ports, a car socket, and six AC outlets. Additionally, it also functions as a night light and has a handle for easy carrying. It weighs about 28 pounds.

Now let’s talk about charging. There are two ways you can charge the Anker Solix C1000. The first way is just by plugging it into a standard AC wall outlet. Or if you have the portable solar panels (sold separately), you simply connect the wires and place the panels in the sun. When plugged into an AC outlet, your power station can be fully charged in about an hour. If you charge up with solar, it’ll likely take around two hours. The digital display on the front of the power station shows you the battery and charging status.

Shoppers have found multiple uses for this portable power station. “We bought it mainly for short power outages and to run our refrigerator, but it will have many other uses for sure,” one shopper said. “Just this past week, I had to do some repairs to our floating dock, and there is no extension cord long enough to reach, so I brought this Anker Solix C1000 and it powered our two saws and drills without any issue at all. It’s very cool and has lots of different outlets. Very impressive unit!”

Others say they get daily use out of it. “I love it. I use it every day. I am traveling and camping everywhere,” one shopper shared. “I use it to power a car mobile refrigerator, a little portable air conditioner, and of course, my iPhone and other electronics, and sometimes an electric stove. It can take on all tasks with no problem. I love the mobile design and durability.”

You don’t need to be ‘roughing it’ the next time you go camping. Consider grabbing the Anker Solix C1000 Portable Power Station to keep all your devices charged and bring along a few essentials for the kitchen or living room. You’ll feel like you never left home.