New research from the UK’s leading independent job board, CV-Library, reveals that the majority (51.3%) of Brits are more likely to consider a remote-working job following lockdown; with searches to remote jobs increasing by 222.4% since last year*.
The job board surveyed 1,100 UK professionals and found that women are most likely to want to work remotely (57.6% compared to just 46.9% of men). Alongside this, millennials (those aged 25-34 years old) are also most keen on remote working jobs (60.7%), compared to just 40.8% of 55-64 year olds and 49.8% of 45-54 year olds.
The findings show that remote working was also favoured amongst professionals in the following industries: design (85.7%), IT (81.5%), recruitment (80%), telecoms (77.8%), marketing (73.3%), customer service (72.2%), legal (66.7%), finance (66.7%), sales (60%) and the public sector (51.9%).
Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments: “Remote working has become the new normal for many Brits over the past few months. While a lot of workers are set to return to their normal workplace before the end of the year, some companies are keen to make a permanent move to a remote-first working environment and clearly, this is what a lot of professionals want. As with anything, it comes with its pros and cons. For some people, working from home can be isolating; for others, it can help with productivity and wellbeing.”
Alongside this, CV-Library analysed the amount of remote working jobs advertised on its site between 1st January and 16th June 2020 and compared the findings with the same period in the previous year to see how job numbers had fluctuated. The data shows that remote working jobs have increased by 19.9% year-on-year.
What’s more, it reveals that the industries with the biggest rise in remote working opportunities in 2020 so far, include: education (+140.8%), the public sector (+76.3%), consulting (+47.5%), accounting/finance (+37.6%), marketing (+35.8%), design (+35%), IT (+32.9%) and recruitment (+12.4%).
Biggins continues: “From a business perspective, hiring remote workers can open your organisation up to an entirely new talent pool; particularly helpful in sectors that have been impacted by skills shortages in the past. As we transition into the new world of work, organisations are recognising the benefits of hiring remote workers and that it’s something professionals want in a job going forward.”
*Searches to remote working jobs 1st – 23rd June 2020 vs 1st – 23rd June 2019
