Three out of five workers plan to learn new skills, gain qualifications or change their career altogether as a result of the Covid outbreak, a new study suggests.

Finance giant Aviva said its research also indicated that an increasing number of people want a job that involves helping others.

The most popular change people would like to introduce to their occupation is the ability to work from home, according to a survey of 4,000 adults.

One in 10 respondents said they want to work from home, suggesting that home-working has proved a benefit of the pandemic for some, said the report.

The desire to work from home is strongest in London, where one in six people intends to find a role that will allow them to work remotely, and lowest in Scotland, at one in 20, the poll found.

Under 25-year-olds are most likely to want to make changes to their work plans in the next few  years as a result of the pandemic and are more likely than any other age group to work from home, said Aviva.

One in seven respondents over 55 said the virus crisis has brought forward their retirement plans, while around one in 12 said they hope to turn a hobby into a career.

Gareth Hemming, of Aviva, said: “As the pandemic has continued, an increasing number of people have given thought to what they want from their careers and now three-fifths of people would like to make changes to their working lives.

“For those who plan to become home-workers, it’s always sensible to check that they have suitable cover for their circumstances.

“A standard home insurance policy may not be adequate if someone wishes to run a business from their home, particularly if they have stock on site or customers visiting their property.”