More UK employers plan to hire remote workers

Perkbox survey finds 62% of UK employers plan to hire remote workers within the next year

LONDON, ENGLAND — A striking majority of UK-based employers said they plan to hire more remote workers within the next year.

This is according to Perkbox, which undertook a survey of more than 500 businesses across the region.

In fact, the study found that 62 per cent of UK employers plan to adopt some form of “borderless working” over the next 12 months.

Commenting on the findings, Remote Worker CEO Joseph Boll said the results suggest that the UK’s severe labour challenges are creating a shift in employers’ approach to remote work.

“For a time,” said Boll, “many businesses were starting to revert to the pre-pandemic way of working — traditional, in-person offices.

“But this Perkbox study shows that sentiment is now shifting once again.

“Remote Worker has maintained that remote work is here to stay and companies stand to lose by rejecting it.

“This study shows that more and more employers are beginning to realise that.”

Borderless working grows in popularity

Perkbox’s survey suggested that the move towards embracing remote work is being driven by technological advancements and a desire for a more diverse workforce.

It noted that 35 per cent of UK-based businesses said their strategy was motivated by the desire to build a more diverse workforce to access a wider talent pool.

Meanwhile, 32 per cent said theirs was motivated by a desire to encourage innovation; while another 29 per cent said they wanted to service a wider customer base.

However, the organisation’s CEO, Gautam Sahgal, noted that increasing global competition could also be a factor contributing to the growing popularity of remote work.

“The increasingly competitive talent market has put greater emphasis on having the right policies in place which retain and motivate the best talent,” he said.

“As borderless working increases in popularity, leaders must now ensure they’re focusing on how to deliver those policies equally across both international and domestic staff…”

Sharing a similar outlook as Boll, Sahgal added, “Borderless working is here to stay.”

To this end, Perkbox found that 43 per cent of businesses surveyed have prioritsed introducing flexible hours and 42 per cent have established dedicated remote working policies.

Companies looking to hire the best remote talent, and job seekers looking for the perfect remote job, can leverage online services like RemoteWorker.co.uk to find the best match.

Find the latest remote jobs in the UK via Remote Worker.