The dream of working from anywhere is fast becoming a fantasy for many as remote work jobs are dwindling. According to a new LinkedIn analysis more than 60 million job listing over the last two years have found that remote jobs were at its peak in March 2022 which accounted for more than 20% of listings.
In November 2022, that number has dropped to just 14% in terms of job listings. LinkedIn reported that the remote friendly jobs snag up to 50% of all job applications.
Remote jobs More Productive?
In a Fortune report it was found that out of 10,000 white-collar workers from Slack’s think tank, Future Forum remote workers were actually more productive. Worldwide those who had flexible schedules showed 29% higher productivity scores than those who did not.
Another survey by Microsoft had similar findings. Some 87% of workers reported increased productivity after lockdowns began. LinkedIn’s head of economics and global labor markets, Rand Ghayad told the Washington Post that workers looking for remote-friendly jobs that bosses refuse to offer was a “great mismatch.”
Workers whose bosses are stubborn about working remotely have resorted to resigning to make life easier. “Doesn’t it seem silly that, in a moment of crisis during the pandemic, we all figured out how to keep working productively without all these conversations and debates, seemingly because we were just rolling up our sleeves and getting work done? And now that we have the choice, it’s the choice that makes this hard,” said organizational behavior professor Ethan Bernstein from Harvard Business School.
In a LinkedIn survey in August last year, it was found that flexibility remains the most important priority to candidates after compensation and balance. The data also found that the US leads the way when it comes to the remote working trend globally, followed by the UK, Germany and India.
Job Flexibility Priority
Even with remote jobs disappearing, LinkedIn Vice President of global talent acquisition said that she anticipates job flexibility will remain a priority for candidates.
“Even facing an uncertain future, people will still highly value two areas of work like that have gotten a lot of attention since the start of the pandemic, work-life balance, and flexible-work arrangements-including remote work. I expect those two attributes to remain top talent drivers for years to come,” said Shapley.
The report states that demand for flexible work options continues to increase even as availability declines.
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