Despite some businesses calling their employees back to the office, the UK is experiencing a surge in remote job vacancies across all business functions.
That’s according to a new report by Tiger Recruitment and labour market data analysts Vacancysoft based on job vacancy data from more than 100,000 company website career centres.
In 2019, only 0.44% of permanent vacancies posted on company websites were remote. In 2023, however, the percentage of remote job openings has increased by almost ten times (9.8 times) to make up 4.32% of all available job roles.
David Morel, CEO of Tiger Recruitment, said, “In 2022, employees demanded remote working, and employers offered it to attract and retain top talent amid fierce competition.
“With the shift in the market in 2023, there were concerns that economic uncertainty might lead employers to force a return to the office. However, the data shows that remote working has stood its ground and the proportion of remote job opportunities continues to rise.
“Although some employers want people back at their desks, it seems that more and more companies recognise the business benefits of remote working. These include happier staff, reduced overheads, and, vitally – as talent shortages persist in many sectors – access to a wider pool of talented professionals, regardless of location.”
Pre-pandemic, the field sales and IT professions accounted for almost three-quarters (72%) of all remote roles between them. This dropped to 43% in 2023, with the percentage of remote sales roles declining by 78% since 2019. In sharp contrast, marketing has surged from 68 remote job openings in 2019 to 971 this year as companies become increasingly comfortable with work-from-home marketing teams. Given that these are half-year figures, this uptick in remote marketing vacancies is equivalent to a 29x monthly increase.
The professional services industry, including law, accounting, and consulting firms, has also seen a significant shift. Traditionally known for its long-hours culture and fully-catered offices, there are expected to be over 60 times more remote vacancies in 2023 than in 2019 as the acceptance of remote work grows.
Reinforcing the opportunity provided by remote work, James Chaplin, CEO of Vacancysoft said, “Technology companies have, for a long time, been adept at managing remote teams and resources. However, other sectors have been slower to adjust. Those that actively look to learn from how technology companies have achieved this whilst maintaining productivity will have an advantage over competitors both in terms of attracting candidates and in terms of retention.”
According to Vacancysoft’s data, companies headquartered in London are the top providers of remote job roles in 2023, followed by companies in the South East of England. Whilst there has been a decline since 2022, the number of remote roles in the South East is expected to increase more than nine times from 2019 to 2023.
