Covid-19 is changing people’s work preferences with many now looking for roles that give them the flexibility to work from home. New data from LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, finds that job searches for remote work have increased by 60% globally since March. Companies will need to adapt to existing policies and offer greater flexibility to attract and retain the best talent.
Janine Chamberlin, Director at LinkedIn:
“It’s clear that people want more flexibility when it comes to work. They want to be able to decide for themselves when to work from the office and when to work from home, depending on their work and life commitments. For those that can do it, it’s likely that remote working will increasingly become the norm as Covid-19 proves to companies that their employees can still be productive, regardless of where they work. Companies that offer greater flexibility will benefit from improved engagement and loyalty, and have access to broader and more diverse talent pools as they become unconstrained by location.”
In the UK, views of remote jobs on LinkedIn are 2.5 times higher today compared to March, and applications for these roles have increased by 189%. Furthermore, job postings on LinkedIn for remote work are 3.7 times higher – an increase of 277% since March as employers have had to adapt business operations due to the global pandemic.
The top 15 most applied for remote jobs in the UK are:
- Head of Marketing
- Data Analyst
- National Account Manager
- Customer Support Representative
- Chief Technology Office
- Administrative Assistant
- Freelance Graphic Designer
- Data Entry Specialist
- Freelance Writer
- Online Specialist
- Full Stack Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer
- Account Director
- Business Analyst
- Customer Success Manager
Recent research conducted by LinkedIn, surveying 2,000 UK adults who had been working from home since lockdown, found that over half (54%) would like their employer to give them the opportunity to work from home more regularly in the future.
While there are challenges associated with working from home – a quarter (25%) feel pressured to respond more quickly to emails, and on average, respondents are clocking up an extra 28 hours of monthly overtime since the lockdown – there are also clear benefits to having a more flexible approach to working.
Nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents had more time for exercise, 17% felt they were eating more healthily, and 44% said working from home had made them feel more connected to their family.
Takeaways from this study:
- Flexible working shoots up the list of priorities for UK workers
- Views of remote jobs on LinkedIn are 2.5 x higher compared to pre-lockdown
- Searches for remote working opportunities have increased by 60% globally
- Companies will need to offer greater flexibility to hold on to the best talent
Shimona Mehta, Head of EMEA for Shopify Plus:
“The ‘office’ as we’ve known it has changed for everyone, likely forever. Companies must now embrace this new reality and prepare their workforces for this sea change. In May this year we became a ‘digital by default’ company. This represents a digital first way of working and gives workers the freedom to work from almost anywhere. We closed our offices and will keep them closed until 2021. When we do open offices we will be designing for our future to be Digital by Default: a digital-first way of thinking, working, and operating.”
