Searches for remote jobs up 300% compared to last year, research finds

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in spring of 2020, many people bemoaned having to spend two weeks working from home. Then two weeks turned into two months, and now, for many people, two years – and now, workers are no longer quite as skeptical about at-home employment. In fact, according to new research by Semrush, a keyword research platform, demand for remote jobs just keeps rising. The research, which was based on data from search engine traffic, finds that searches for remote jobs are up 300%, year over year. That includes searches for specific types of remote work jobs, including searches for part-time remote jobs and entry-level remote jobs.

So are employers responding to the clear demand? Not quite. Only 6.8% of all jobs on job searching websites are remote jobs, according to Semrush’s study, meaning more people are looking for remote jobs than there are remote jobs available. The study notes that employers – many of whom are struggling with hiring due to the ongoing impacts of the Great Resignation and subsequent labor shortage – might be able to attract more qualified candidates by offering remote or flexible work options.