Are there enough remote positions for everyone who wants one?

Millions of workers are looking for remote jobs. But there may not be enough flexible positions for everyone.

Employees want remote jobs. As the world returns to the office, many workers are scrambling to get out of the office as much as possible - and some are planning to leave employers who don't want to allow for a flexible future.

Data from a May 2021 Morning Consult survey of 1,000 U.S. adults shows that almost 40% of respondents terminated their employment would consider if their employer does not offer telework flexibility. Among Millennials and Generation Z this number increased even increased to 49%.

While this has some employers excited, not all are responding to employee demands by opening up a remote or hybrid work option, or at least keeping workplaces as flexible as possible. That's because there may be a supply and demand issue underlying these numbers: Despite an oversupply of job vacancies in many countries, including the US and UK, and a labor market that continues to favor workers, some data shows that there are There are simply not enough location-flexible jobs for everyone who wants one.

These trends vary by country and industry, but the numbers increasingly suggest widespread worker interest that may not match the reality of the labor market. For workers who feel like they have a lot of options, this could be a hard pill to swallow - and the result is that some job seekers are having to bow to an office future they reject.

A puzzle of supply and demand

Those : vox.com

Recent global figures from job sites Indeed and LinkedIn, provided to BBC Worklife, show that employee interest in jobs that have a remote working component is in many cases greater than the number of jobs available.

Although the number of remote work job postings has increased during the pandemic,

"The proportion of job searches containing remote work keywords has increased even more in most major economies"

says Pawel Adrjan, head of research for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Indeed.

"Looking at the U.S. as a whole, the share of remote work searches has increased four and a half times since 2019, while the share of remote work job postings has only increased 3.2 times."

In the UK, the number of overseas job advertisements has increased by 329%, while the number of searches has skyrocketed by 790%.

In the US, the number of job postings that specifically mention remote work increased by 319% between January 2020 and March 2022, but the number of searches increased by 458%. In the UK, the number of teleworking job advertisements has increased by 329%, while the number of searches has skyrocketed by 790%. This unbalanced pattern also applies to countries such as Italy, Germany and France, where the number of job advertisements has declined (or is generally less available) since the peak of the pandemic.

Globally, demand is in many cases outstripping supply - and Adrjan says people are still very active in looking for at least partially remote jobs, even as the pandemic eases in some economies. According to Adrjan, the supply of such jobs will become even more scarce in countries with weaker broadband infrastructure, such as Italy, and in countries where the cultural acceptance of remote work is not as high, such as France and Japan. In these countries, the share of remote work job postings is declining as employers begin to move new positions back to the office.

LinkedIn's data on remote jobs - jobs that are explicitly labeled as remote or those that contain related keywords like "work from home," including hybrid jobs - also shows a dramatic increase in the number of applications. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the proportion of applications for paid remote positions was 1.8 times higher than for paid non-remote positions; in March 2022 this value was 2.6 times higher. Even as the number of remote positions increased, it couldn't keep up with the number of applicants for those positions.

“The key takeaway is that both supply and demand from workers for remote work opportunities have increased rapidly over the past two years, with demand increasing even faster,” says Mary Kate Fields, data communications manager at LinkedIn.

There has to be a certain amount of leniency

Those : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Of course, there is still the option of remote work, but the specific industry of a particular job has a lot to do with how flexible employers are willing to be in determining the work location. This is particularly true where personal contact is becoming increasingly important as restrictions are relaxed, e.g. B. in travel, retail and construction, according to data from LinkedIn and Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn's chief economist.

Oliver Price, UK Solutions Director for Technology at HR consultancy Robert Half, agrees that the industry has an impact on how many workers can take location-flexible arrangements. With the job market still so competitive for careers like developers, workers can afford to push for the remote work they desire.

"If [an employer] advertised a position and it was incredibly difficult to hire the right person, and the right person comes along but has a slightly different personal situation... then you have to at least consider that," he says. In other words, some employees can use their talents to secure a more favorable remote work arrangement.

I think that ultimately job seekers will have to compromise a little more - Karin Kimbrough

But as the major restructuring continues, driven largely by workers looking for more flexible work options, some job seekers may be disappointed with their options. And, says Kimbrough, it's important to remember that only a third of employers even offer remote work - meaning that the option isn't even on the table for two-thirds of companies.

However, there is one caveat - somewhat "hidden" remote jobs. Adrjan explains that there are some companies that are willing to negotiate work location flexibility and provide personal accommodations, even if these are not explicitly mentioned in the job postings. Ultimately, Price adds, employers need to attract and retain talent and understand that they may have to cut corners to do so.

Ultimately, however, Kimbrough says, "job seekers have to give in a little."

Those : breathingtravel.com

, especially as employers around the world consider a return to work as the global economy slows and the labor market rebalances. Price agrees that

“Applicants have to be a little more flexible than they probably want to be at the moment.”

"Workers have been in the driver's seat for at least a year, if not longer, but it won't last forever."

says Kimbrough. As we move past this job-seeker-friendly period in the labor market, Kimbrough continued, workers may have to give up their position of power.

"I think that ultimately job seekers will have to compromise a little more."