Japanese companies are continuing to reduce the use of teleworking after the government downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk disease category in May, despite workers' strong demand for remote working, a recent survey showed.

The ratio of workers using the telework system dropped to 22.2%, the lowest level since the coronavirus outbreak hit the country, according to the survey released earlier in the week by Persol Research and Consulting Co., a private think tank.

The think tank collected responses in mid-July from 24,644 workers at companies with 10 or more employees.