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News comment: 86% more job seekers are searching for Work From Anywhere schemes

Journalist: Arunth Sriganthan, People Management

ended 17. April 2023

I'm writing a piece today for People Management about research from Flexa which reveals that more and more job seekers are looking for roles that allow the to work from anywhere/fully remotely.

Some of the findings include:

  • 86% more job seekers were searching for WFA schemes last quarter (up from 7% of all searches in January, to 15% of all searches in March)
  • 58% of all job seekers were searching for "fully remote" roles in March (up from 48% of all job seekers in January)
  • Instead of fully remote roles, employers are tending to offer “remote-first” roles; where employees work remotely most of the time, but also have the option to use office space on flexible or set days. The number of remote-first roles being advertised by companies rose from 14% in January to 19% in March
  • The number of job seekers expressing a preference for working for companies offering “unlimited annual leave” increased by 33% between January and February
  • Preferences for “summer hours” (where workers are able to finish earlier on Fridays during summer months) rose by 68%
     

I am looking for comment on any of the following:

Is the job market at a level where employers are having to adapt to jobseekers? Or is there so much competition that jobseekers have to take whatever they get? In other words, whose court is the ball in between employers and jobseekers?

Why are employers offering remote-first roles rather than fully remote roles?

What would these flexible working perks, including summer hours and unlimited annual leave, mean for a company and HR?

Is the rise in remote/flexible job searches purely down to the seasonal change (as we head towards spring/summer) or is there more to it?

Full link to the research: https://flexa.careers/blog/workers-prioritise-work-from-anywhere-jobs

My deadline is 12pm.
 

3 responses from the Newspage community

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Mary Maguire
Managing Director at Astute Recruitment Ltd
Wouldn’t it be great to work anywhere in the world, but how realistic is this? My clients, which range from FTSE 100 to small owner-managed businesses, have reached many compromises for their staff, genuinely being as flexible as possible, which their teams and successful candidate acquisition strategies seem to show are working. From a recruitment company perspective, flexibility is the key. Pandora’s box is open and refuses to close on the whole hybrid / WFH flexibility debate, but let's not forget that many, many people value interaction in the office. From new staff benefiting from more experienced colleagues to the ‘buzz’ and ‘feel’ of collaboration as part of a team. I’ve spoken to a lot of employees who value some interaction as part of their employment package – for their mental well-being and to avoid feelings of isolation. This is less a case for 'Work from anywhere'. More important for the majority, is to 'work where you are valued, and feel part of a team!'
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Kieran Boyle
Managing Director at CKB Recruitment Ltd
We have noticed a huge shift in the power candidates have, being in a very candidate-short market. As such they can pick and choose who they work for, as well as demand more money and flexibility from their prospective employers, so the ball is well and truly in the candidate's court currently. We are seeing a rise in those leaving education and wanting a fully remote role from the off too, so I think this is most certainly something being driven by those under 30. It is posing a lot of challenges for some businesses, as they struggle to try and accommodate a variety of people and their requests, but those businesses that do get this right are most certainly winning the battle of talent.
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Cheney Hamilton
CEO at The Find Your Flex Group
Employers will need to adapt to outcome-based work requirements, which so many prospective employees now wish to adopt. We polled our LinkedIn network and over 70% wished to work this way versus being offered time-based or location based flexibility. This is not really about work from anywhere, it's about work that makes you happy, at a time that suits you, when you are feeling most productive. A recent PwC survey of CEOs found that companies that don't adapt will not be here in 10 years' time, and a whopping 40% of those didn't think that their company would be here in three years' time, if they don't re-invent themselves. There is a huge shift in how we work happening, but it has to be sustainable for both the business and its workers. Outcome-based working holds the answers for both sides of the divide.