The pandemic led to an abundance of remote jobs as companies scrambled to recruit talent during the crisis.
However, now that power dynamics are once again shifting, the number of remote listings has dwindled.
According to data from LinkedIn, remote job listings fell from 20.6% in March 2022 to 13.2% in December 2022. While this doesn’t mean that demand has fallen too, it does indicate that employees will need a stronger argument to find remote-capable jobs.
This could serve as a win for many employers, who now have a massive pool of recently laid-off tech workers to entice. But will these workers relinquish flexibility for job security?
“Candidates still have a lot of options,” said Brenda Arche, branch director at Robert Half. “[If] it’s not remote or doesn’t offer any type of flexibility, candidates will not even interview or take it.”
With tech companies being struck by massive jobs cuts, while historically leading the fight for a more distributed workforce, a hiring slowdown in the sector could lead to less and less remote opportunities.
Despite data from Gallup showing that jobs are more remote-capable than ever before, just 26% of U.S. workers were operating under a fully remote arrangement. This coincides with major companies like Disney requiring employees to come back to the office under a hybrid model.
