In response to FlexJobs, a job finding agency for distant and versatile work, 95% of individuals want some type of do business from home, whether hybrid or full.
On the heels of that finding, they released their Top 100 list of top firms for distant work in 2024. A number of the primo firms may surprise you: CVS Health, Williams-Sonoma, Recent York Life, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Zillow, to call a couple of.
However the enduring and dramatic shift toward distant work isn’t surprising industry insiders.
“Even probably the most reluctant hybrid employers have now mostly accepted that a point of distant work is here to remain, especially if you have got to compete for any type of expert or scarce employees,” said Alexandra Samuel, Ph.D. and co-author of “Distant, Inc.: The best way to Thrive at Work … Wherever You Are” (Harper Business, 2021).
Jared Brown, co-founder and CEO of Hubstaff, a distant workforce management platform, echoed that sentiment.
“In the approaching years, I predict that we’ll see a fair greater surge in distant job opportunities, with more industries recognizing the worth and feasibility of distant work,” the Atlanta entrepreneur said. “This shift shall be powered by advancements in technology that make distant collaboration more seamless and by a growing workforce demand for flexibility and autonomy.”
Corporations that adapt to this trend and spend money on remote-friendly policies and technologies will lead the market, attracting top talent from across the globe, he predicted.
FlexJobs is seeing firsthand just how much the tide is changing.
“Historically, fields like computer and IT and accounting/finance had probably the most distant job openings, because the sort of tasks required for these roles lend themselves very well to working from home,” said Toni Frana, M.S., lead profession expert at FlexJobs, based in Niceville, Fla. “But because the pandemic, we’ve seen many other fields, akin to medical and health, operations, customer support and administrative, increase the variety of distant positions offered.”
Per Frana, the accessibility of distant work has also created more opportunities across various profession and education levels, pointing to WFH offerings on its site across experienced (64%), manager (19%), senior (12%) and entry (5%) levels. (It’s also possible to scope out distant jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree on the positioning.)
FlexJobs survey data found that 63% say distant work is an important aspect of their job, even over salary (61%) and having a great boss (48%).
Frana shares that FlexJobs research shows there are some WFH-friendly jobs most individuals may not consider as a right away fit, like culinary specialist, wildfire resilience environmental project manager, veterinary technician, psychiatric nurse practitioner and speech language pathologist.
“While these kinds of roles haven’t at all times been the norm, it demonstrates the demand for and expansion of distant work across recent industries,” she said.
Along those lines, Brown shares that roles like virtual health care providers, online educators, distant legal consultants and distant lab technicians have gotten increasingly common. “These positions challenge the normal notion that certain jobs require a physical presence,” he said.
Samuel pinpoints health care as one of the crucial interesting distant fields to observe “since it’s one among the only a few places where the flexibility to work remotely is restricted amongst high-wage and high-status employees,” like doctors and physicians’ assistants.
Against this, in lots of fields we see middle and upper managers with hybrid or distant flexibility, said Samuel, and frontline employees like retail, manufacturing or service employees feeling resentful they don’t get that flexibility.
Samuel believes the move toward distant health care shall be sticking around for the long haul. She cites online therapy, for example, as becoming so omnipresent that it’s transforming the best way mental health services are delivered. Even in additional area of interest applications in mental health, telehealth is becoming more commonplace: “I’d never have imagined that behavioral supports for autistic kids might be delivered online, but they’re,” Samuel said.
We’re only on the tip of the iceberg, per Brown. “This broadening of fields reflects a growing recognition of the efficiency and effectiveness of distant work across different sectors,” he said. “The expansion of distant work into various fields is ready to proceed, and speed up, breaking more traditional barriers.”
Brown foresees a future where much more sectors, like manufacturing and science, find modern ways to include distant work into their operations.
For those who’re excited by exploring more unconventional distant careers, Brown recommends resources akin to Distant.co, and We Work Remotely, coupled with “upskilling” through online courses on platforms like Coursera, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning.
When considering a profession in any field, Frana stressed the importance of starting by researching the necessities of the job. “For instance, there could also be unexpected licensing requirements for certain health care roles, like nurse practitioners or speech language pathologists, whereas the role as a culinary specialist can have more general, experience-heavy needs,” she said.
Don’t overlook having a competitive résumé and canopy letter.
“For those who’re someone seeking to make a profession change, it’s especially critical to focus on your transferable skills to the role. With distant roles specifically, highlighting your technology knowledge, strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills is a wonderful practice,” said Frana.
Frana also states that constructing resilience throughout your profession is a key technique to success in any future job searches, especially distant jobs. “All the time ensuring you have got an updated résumé together with your latest work achievements will aid you hit the bottom running if and whenever you determine to make a change,” she said.
“Upskilling and staying on top of the most recent trends and advancements in your field will make you a stronger candidate whenever you apply to jobs, and it shows employers you aren’t afraid to take initiative.”
Finally, constantly constructing relationships and networking is a profession strategy that Frana says won’t ever exit of fashion. So go ahead, and treat that profession mentor to a coffee — whether virtual or within the flesh.