Flexible jobs market booming as UK workers won’t budge on return-to-office demand
The flexible jobs market is booming with adverts up by more than 60 per cent,compared to this time last year, in a renewed sign that employees won’t compromise on their work-from-home options.
According to exclusive data shared with City PM by Flexa, compared to this time last year, 62 per cent more flexible jobs are on offer in job adverts.
Flexa analysis pooled data insights from a sample of over 4,000 job adverts and 840,000 job searches, as well as the preferences expressed by over 8,500 job seekers between January and March 2024.
Despite vacancies shrinking across the labour market, Flexa recorded 32 per cent more flexible job posts this quarter, compared to last quarter (up from 3,073 to 4,056).
The data also shows that almost a third (31 per cent) of all roles on offer right now are remote-first, whereby office attendance is optional. However, the number of these roles has actually declined by 26 per cent since the start of the year (down from 43 per cent in January to 31 per cent in March).
TUI Group, Blood Cancer UK and WeTransfer are amongst the companies currently offering remote-first work.
Job seekers are holding out for remote working options, whereby you are not required to attend any office. Over the last quarter, half of the workers were searching for “fully remote” roles. With that, people searching for a fully remote job rose by 11 per cent between January and March (up from 47 per cent to 52 per cent).
Flexa stated that Hertility Health, Trust Keith, and Unplugged are amongst employers currently offering fully remote work.
This comes after a survey by Morgan McKinley showed that over half of UK workers would forgo a pay rise in order to not work from the office full time. The report highlighted that 40 per cent of companies are urging their staff to return to the office more regularly.
Commenting on the data, Molly Johnson-Jones, co-founder and CEO of Flexa explained that “the employer-led labour market and return-to-office- era is shining a light on what employees really want.” She noted that “whilst many are willing to let more novel forms of flexibility slide, job seekers’ non-negotiable criteria for new roles is telling.”
“Employees are right to hold out for core flexible working benefits that they won’t compromise on,” she added.
Earlier this month, new employment laws came into power which includes a focus on an employee’s right to request flexible working. The new law means employees have the right the request flexible working from ‘day one’ rather than having to wait at least 26 week’ of service.