The new geography of work and mobility: Behavioural, spatial and sectoral dynamics of telework during and after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rapid expansion of telework, reshaping commuting patterns and urban mobility, yet its sectoral and spatial dynamics in rapidly developing megacities remain insufficiently understood. This study introduces an operational framework that integrates large-scale location-based services (LBS) mobility data with official employment statistics to measure telework transitions in Shenzhen, China, from 2019 to 2022. Results show an initial 14.5% surge in frequent telework that stabilised at 9% above pre-pandemic levels, with pronounced divergence across industries: skilled scalable service sectors sustained elevated telework adoption, whereas manufacturing and consumer-facing industries largely returned to onsite work. Spatially, telework persistence concentrated in central business districts and knowledge-intensive clusters, consolidating a more monocentric hybrid-work geography. Regression models reveal strong associations between telework uptake and sociodemographic factors, commuting distance, and built-environment features such as amenity density, mixed land use and high-rise development. Moderation analysis further shows that industry composition amplifies or attenuates built-environment influences, reinforcing sector-specific telework feasibility. By integrating mobility-derived behavioural indicators with urban form and sectoral structures, this study provides a transferable analytical framework for monitoring hybrid work in data-scarce contexts and offers globally relevant insights for transport planning, mixed-use development and the governance of post-pandemic work–travel transitions.