A recent survey shows that seven out of ten conglomerates are allowing employees to work remotely despite the recent downgrade of COVID-19.

According to the results released on Wednesday of a survey conducted by the Korea Enterprises Federation on the country's leading 100 firms by sales, 72-point-seven percent of the respondents continue to permit remote working.

This is 18-point-eight percentage points down from a similar survey conducted a year earlier, a reduction attributed to the apparent decision by companies to recall employees onsite as social distancing regulations eased.

Nearly 44 percent of the companies said they are continuing their remote work policy as they pursue a gradual return to normal to help employees adjust to a return to the office. Some 21 percent said it reflects their employees' preferences to work from home.

The survey also revealed that roughly 52 percent of all respondents expect that working remotely for large firms will return to pre-pandemic levels after the nation has moved past the COVID-19 crisis.