What is location-independent work?
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 8:04 am
In many professions, constant presence at a specific workstation is no longer necessary. Therefore, anyone who works – fully or partially – from home, for example, is already – almost – location-independent.
The pandemic has accelerated digitalization and location-independent working. Until then, especially in Germany, being present at the company was still considered mandatory and a prerequisite for working as an employee. Remote work was almost exclusively common among the self-employed, who worked for their clients from their own office or from home. But that has changed fundamentally. According to the ifo Institute , the home office rate in Germany remains stable: In February 2025, 24.5 percent of hungary phone number data employees in Germany worked at least partially from home, according to the economic survey. Since April 2022, the rate has remained virtually unchanged. The economic survey also shows that most of these employees in the service sector (34 percent) work remotely.
Today, as in the past, the purest form of location-independent work is lived by employees and freelancers who work entirely from home or from another location.
This could be in the home country or the employer's country – or somewhere else entirely. Digital nomads are leading the way: Whether in Thailand, Portugal, or Bali – they're demonstrating that location-independent work is possible. Some well-known influencers and bloggers have turned location independence into an online business. They earn money by sharing social media photos of their beautiful lives in vacation paradise: a morning swim in the pool, then a few hours of remote work on their laptop before getting ready for the next beach party.
This lifestyle seems tempting at first glance and offers more opportunities, such as travel. However, it's also important to keep in mind some disadvantages. Instagram and other social media platforms often ignore this topic.
Technically, all you need to work from anywhere in the world is a laptop and a stable internet connection. However, other factors are important in life, and digital nomads may face challenges, such as those in their personal lives or regarding the necessary qualifications, for which they should have solutions.
Some digital nomads stay in one place, while others travel extensively. They cite this greater independence as their primary motivation for their nomadism: They want to see as much of the world as possible, have adventures, and have experiences that wouldn't be possible in their familiar homeland.
The pandemic has accelerated digitalization and location-independent working. Until then, especially in Germany, being present at the company was still considered mandatory and a prerequisite for working as an employee. Remote work was almost exclusively common among the self-employed, who worked for their clients from their own office or from home. But that has changed fundamentally. According to the ifo Institute , the home office rate in Germany remains stable: In February 2025, 24.5 percent of hungary phone number data employees in Germany worked at least partially from home, according to the economic survey. Since April 2022, the rate has remained virtually unchanged. The economic survey also shows that most of these employees in the service sector (34 percent) work remotely.
Today, as in the past, the purest form of location-independent work is lived by employees and freelancers who work entirely from home or from another location.
This could be in the home country or the employer's country – or somewhere else entirely. Digital nomads are leading the way: Whether in Thailand, Portugal, or Bali – they're demonstrating that location-independent work is possible. Some well-known influencers and bloggers have turned location independence into an online business. They earn money by sharing social media photos of their beautiful lives in vacation paradise: a morning swim in the pool, then a few hours of remote work on their laptop before getting ready for the next beach party.
This lifestyle seems tempting at first glance and offers more opportunities, such as travel. However, it's also important to keep in mind some disadvantages. Instagram and other social media platforms often ignore this topic.
Technically, all you need to work from anywhere in the world is a laptop and a stable internet connection. However, other factors are important in life, and digital nomads may face challenges, such as those in their personal lives or regarding the necessary qualifications, for which they should have solutions.
Some digital nomads stay in one place, while others travel extensively. They cite this greater independence as their primary motivation for their nomadism: They want to see as much of the world as possible, have adventures, and have experiences that wouldn't be possible in their familiar homeland.