LinkedIn: Flexibility top priority for workers, but not for companies
LONDON, ENGLAND — A foreboding question mark looms over the British labour market as tensions over the issue of remote work continue to increase.
Dozens of studies and research have shown that workers and job seekers in the UK highly value remote work. The popularity of remote jobs is at an all-time high, with no signs of slowing despite a return-to-office mandate implemented by many companies earlier this year.
Most workers in the UK want at least some form of remote work.
Additionally, the incoming labour market of new graduates mostly expects to have either remote or hybrid jobs. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of existing workers are planning to leave the UK to pursue remote work opportunities while living abroad.
Studies from organisations like TopCV, Remote and others have shown the UK’s workers want remote jobs even more than a high salary or a four-day workweek.
Yet, tension arises as an increasing number of employers withdraw their remote job opportunities.
In fact, according to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends, even fewer UK employers offered remote work this fall than did in the spring.
Remote Worker CEO Joseph Boll.
“It’s baffling,” said Joseph Boll, Remote Worker CEO. “The workforce could not be more clear about what they expect out of their jobs, and many have threatened to leave over it.
“There are also resources like Remote Worker to help companies that may have been struggling to find the right candidate.
“The benefits of remote work have been repeated consistently across multiple studies around the world.
“It’s a sincere win-win and companies have next to nothing to lose if they get with the program.”
Remote work ‘disconnect’
According to LinkedIn, a study of 272 executives in the UK, when compared against in-house jobs data, “highlights a growing disconnect between what professionals want and what employers are now offering”.
This, it noted, has led to concern that the UK’s workers stand to lose many of the “flexibility and freedoms introduced during the pandemic” thanks to remote work.
However, LinkedIn also noted, “Professionals are refusing to return to the old ways of work.
“In many countries, applications to remote roles vastly outstrip supply.
More UK job seekers are applying for remote jobs than there are remote jobs available.
“While just under 12 per cent of jobs in the UK are remote, they’re receiving more than 20 per cent of applications.”
Commenting on the findings, LinkedIn Head of Global Clients Becky Schnauffer noted, “Flexibility is no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ — it’s become necessary for many.
“In fact, our research shows that flexibility is the top priority for people looking for new roles in the UK.
“It’s clear that scaling back on flexibility in response to this period of economic uncertainty could create a disconnect between companies and employees.”
However, Boll said job seekers, employees and hiring managers alike can rely on resources like Remote Worker, which remains dedicated to highlighting the UK’s remote jobs and helping to connect those pursuing them with those who are hiring for them.
Find the latest remote jobs in the UK via RemoteWorker.co.uk.
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