While more employees are seeking remote-work options, fewer companies are listing available positions that are remote.
Key Details
- Even as the majority of employees praise the merits of remote work, the number of job listings for remote positions are declining, LinkedIn found.
- In February this year, 20% of job listings were remote—but by September only 14% had remote options.
- Remote job listings get more attention from job seekers with 52% of applications going to remote postings.
Why it’s news
As the job market becomes more competitive, remote work will be one factor to watch. Labor shortages give employees negotiating power, but fewer job availabilities are beginning to shift power back to the employer.
Even before the pandemic, the number of work from home jobs were steadily rising. Now, around 15% of Americans are working in fully remote positions, 30% are hybrid, and 55% are in-person.
Flexibility remains one of the most important factors employees are considering when looking for a job. More workers are focusing on promoting a healthy work-life balance, a more achievable goal with remote work.
In commute time alone, remote work saves Americans around 60 million hours each day. Rather than sitting in traffic, families are able to spend time with one another, parents help children with homework, and individuals focus on healthy habits like exercising.
Even as worries about layoffs rise, workers aren’t concerned enough to take remote work off the table.
Backing up a bit
Pushes to convince employees to return to the office have been largely unsuccessful. Security firm Kastle Systems found that average occupancy for offices was at 47% in October.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are the most popular days to work in the office, though these occupancy rates barely reach above 50%. Mondays and Fridays see the lowest numbers of employees working in the office.