In July 2024, Virtual Vocations conducted a remote work demographics survey of more than 500 professionals globally, including a significant representation from the U.S. This survey uncovered the challenges remote jobseekers face in an increasingly competitive job market as well as their ambitions for professional growth and financial stability. The results from this diverse group of respondents underscore valuable insights into the current labor landscape, highlighting common themes in all remote jobseekers’ experiences and goals, regardless of where they call home.
Remote Work Demographics Survey Overview
To gain deeper insights into the characteristics of work-at-home jobseekers in 2024, we designed and published a survey focused on the demographics of remote workers. From July 2–8, hundreds of working-age adults, including Virtual Vocations users and members of the general public, were invited to answer a series of questions about their lives and work. Respondents volunteered their opinions on a host of topics, such as their professional and family dynamics, job search frustrations, and income goals. Our remote work demographics survey results highlight answers from respondents who said they were actively looking for a remote job at the time they took the survey.
United States Remote Jobseekers Versus Non-U.S. Remote Jobseekers
More than 500 remote jobseekers shared their insights with us during our remote work demographics survey. We grouped their answers according to their location, which allowed us to compare career similarities and differences between jobseekers residing in the U.S. (69%) and jobseekers residing outside the U.S. (31%).
Considering the perspectives of U.S. and global jobseekers is important to us. While Virtual Vocations is based in the U.S., like the majority of our members, we do not exclude non-U.S. jobseekers from utilizing our fully remote job board and career resources. In fact, we often receive questions from our community members about the availability of fully remote jobs for international jobseekers.
Organizations greatly enhance their talent pool when they extend their recruitment efforts to applicants worldwide. Many companies, like Virtual Vocations, now function entirely in a virtual capacity. Without the need for physical office spaces, these businesses oversee diverse, distributed teams and often hire employees across different time zones for positions that depend on deadlines or quotas. Organizational climates like these, including workplaces with a results-only work environment (ROWE), enable staff to choose their own workload and work hours.
U.S. Remote Jobseeker Profile
Respondents from every region of the U.S. participated in our remote work demographics survey, but 43% of U.S. remote jobseekers are found in one of these states: Texas (12%), Florida (11%), California (9%), Georgia (6%), and Washington (5%). U.S. remote jobseekers—96% of whom primarily speak English in their homes—are also experienced and educated remote professionals. Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. remote jobseekers are between the ages of 45 and 64. Eight in 10 (80%) have earned a post-secondary degree or certification, with 70% possessing at least a bachelor’s degree. Just under half (48%) of U.S. jobseekers are married and just over half (53%) have no dependents. Although, 30% reported they are the parent or primary caregiver of at least one loved one who is currently home with them, or would be home with them, during work hours. Seventy-two percent (72%) identified themselves as female.
More than half of U.S. remote jobseekers (56%) already work from home in some capacity: 39% work remotely on a 100% virtual basis, 12% spend part of their time working on-site and/or traveling for business, and 5% are based out of a home office and travel part-time. Remote work increases employment access for workers with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and specific care needs. While 62% of U.S. remote jobseekers stated they have no known disabilities, for workers who do, unseen disabilities like diabetes, chronic pain, and autism, as well as other chronic health conditions, were most commonly described by respondents. Fully remote jobs also provide career flexibility for workers with military connections. Among U.S. remote jobseekers, 7% are military veterans and 5% are military spouses.
International Remote Jobseeker Profile
The international community of remote jobseekers was well represented in our remote work demographics survey. Among remote jobseekers based outside the U.S., we received survey responses from professionals in Africa (43%), Asia (25%), Europe (11%), South America (8%), Canada (4%), Central America (4%), Mexico, (3%), Oceania (1%), and elsewhere in North America (1%). As such, this group of respondents showcases the depth of the world’s languages. Even though 48% of global jobseekers primarily use English at home, 52% speak an array of other languages including Spanish (14%), Urdu (7%), Hindi (5%), Swahili/Kiswahili (4%), Arabic (2%), Bengali (2%), Portuguese (2%), and Punjabi (2%).
Like their U.S. counterparts, international remote jobseekers are experienced, dedicated, and educated professionals. Here is a list of key demographics from our collection of responses submitted by remote jobseekers from around the globe.
- International jobseekers represent a slightly younger population compared to U.S. remote jobseekers: 50% are between the ages of 18 and 34.
- 74% have earned a post-secondary degree or certification; 66% hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
- A larger percentage of international remote jobseekers are male (40%) versus the gender demographics of U.S.-based respondents, which included a male respondent percentage of 28%.
- More international remote jobseekers stated they have never been married (48%); meanwhile, 25% of U.S. respondents said they never married.
- A higher percentage of non-U.S. remote jobseekers have at least one dependent (68%); whereas, 47% of U.S. remote jobseekers reported dependents.
- 65% of international remote jobseekers already work from home in some capacity; this figure is nine percentage points higher than U.S.-based jobseekers’ accounting of their current remote work status.
- 27% are frustrated by how difficult it is to determine if they can apply to a job even though they are based outside of the U.S.
No-Travel Jobs Are Most Desired
Both U.S.-based jobseekers (43%) and international remote jobseekers (42%) pointed to a fully remote work style as the employment arrangement that is most appealing to them.
A fully remote work arrangement is one in which employees work from home 100% of the time. Even though business travel is not necessary for fully remote work, employees may need to attend in-person onboarding at a company location or appear periodically for quarterly or annual on-site meetings or retreats. Employers may also require that employees live in a specific state, region, or country, depending on the tenets of their company’s policies and the terms of applicable employment laws.
Among all respondents, jobseekers preferred fully remote work environments over traditional, on-site work arrangements and both partially remote and hybrid work styles. Respondents also opted for fully remote work instead of “work from anywhere” arrangements with no on-site requirements or location parameters of any kind. Fully remote no-travel jobs offer maximum flexibility for employers and employees alike. They not only facilitate businesses hiring the best talent by overcoming geographical barriers but also empower workers to join companies with values and culture befitting their own career goals and preferred modes of work.
Remote Jobseekers Want Roles in 4 Standout Industries
Remote work categories are as diverse as remote workers themselves. Fully remote job postings in our database represent more than 40 unique career fields conducive to telework. Careers in graphic design, writing, and data entry are obvious choices for a remote career, but surprising career fields, including real estate, government, and insurance, are also represented on the Virtual Vocations job board. When polled about which remote-friendly job industries are of most interest to them as they search for remote employment, both U.S and international jobseekers pinpointed these four career fields as some of their top remote work targets.
Information Technology
Information technology consistently ranks as Virtual Vocations’ best fully remote career category for available remote jobs. During Q2 2024, there were at least 4.52 times as many fully remote information technology jobs available in our database as there were job postings from any other industry.
- Median Industry Salary: $104,420
- Industry Outlook (2022-32): +377,500 openings per year
Healthcare
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data projects that healthcare occupations will represent one of the fastest growing career sectors through 2032. Fully remote jobs in medical assisting and nursing boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to be in demand as telehealth expands to offer more flexible healthcare options for patients worldwide.
- Median Industry Salary: $58,480
- Industry Outlook (2022-32): +1.8 million openings per year
Customer Service
Remote customer service jobs require nearly continuous interaction with others, making it one of the most socially engaging remote job options available. Home-based customer service roles are particularly well-suited for those who take pleasure in assisting others yet seek a quieter work environment than that of a bustling call center. CSRs typically engage duties like responding to incoming calls and emails, disseminating company information and detailing services, coordinating service requests or product exchanges, and resolving issues and de-escalating conflicts.
- Median Industry Salary: $39,680
- Industry Outlook (2022-32): +373,400 openings per year
Education
Online education is a valuable market. By 2032, its worth will more than double to approximately $788 billion. A versatile industry, remote education enables professionals to work from home in teaching roles at all grade levels, administrative positions overseeing online schools and virtual education programs, instructional design and curriculum development jobs, and educational training, consulting, tutoring, and ESL and EFL occupations.
- Median Industry Salary: $59,940
- Industry Outlook (2022-32): +857,600 openings per year
U.S. and International Jobseekers Share Job Search Frustrations
Looking for a new job is consistently ranked as one of life’s most stressful events. But what are the specific grievances that can negatively influence jobseekers’ mental health and well-being? Our remote work demographics survey asked jobseekers to describe what frustrates them most about the job search process itself as well as which employer behaviors irk them most of all.
For both groups of respondents, the number one frustration of an online job search is job scams, especially when searching for work-at-home roles. While the largest percentage of each group of remote jobseekers pointed to online job boards as their top online job search method, only a quarter of respondents from each group (i.e. 23% of U.S. remote jobseekers and 24% of non-U.S. remote jobseekers) said they use a dedicated remote job board, like Virtual Vocations, as their primary job search medium. When jobseekers conduct searches via our job board, they only encounter job postings from vetted companies. In addition, each job posting is evaluated through a multi-step quality control process to ensure it meets our strict quality standards and is free of employment scams.
U.S. and international jobseekers also specified superfluous job requirements, including too many experience qualifications and degrees that do not impact someone’s ability to perform the job, as a shared frustration. The number of qualifying hoops jobseekers must go through each time they apply to a vacancy could influence how they feel about employer-focused job search frustrations as well. Roughly one-third of U.S. (31%) and non-U.S. (35%) remote jobseekers are fed up with employers ghosting them and not providing feedback during the hiring process.
Income Insecurity Is a Concern for All Jobseekers
Despite the fact that the majority of respondents from each group hold a post-secondary degree, and that the largest percentage of each respondent group stated they are employed full-time, both groups labeled their incomes as inadequate. Sixty-five percent (65%) of U.S. respondents said their household earnings do not allow them to live comfortably. Meanwhile, the percentage of income insecurity is higher for international jobseekers at 77%. Just under half (48%) of U.S. remote jobseekers bring home less than $60,000 per year, but 68% of jobseekers outside the U.S. currently earn under $30,000 per year in U.S. dollars. For comparison, the mean annual wage for all occupations in the U.S. is $65,470, according the most recent BLS data from May 2023.
To increase their financial stability and set wage goals for the future, each respondent group declared income targets for what they need to earn in a current or future remote job to live their desired lifestyle. Approximately one-third of U.S. remote jobseekers (30%) cited an annual salary range of $60,000–$89,999 as their goal, with another 30% of U.S. respondents aiming for at least $120,000 per year. Overall, remote jobseekers residing outside the U.S., which ranks 14th on a global cost of living comparison of 112 countries, indicated they needed to earn less than U.S. workers to live comfortably. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of international remote jobseekers need an annual salary in the range of $30,000–$59,999, and another 32% would like to earn $60,000–$89,999 in U.S. dollars annually.
Conclusion
The results of our remote work demographics survey emphasize the continued diversification and universal appeal of fully remote work arrangements. A significant portion of the global workforce values flexibility, and the desire for work-life balance or integration is evident cross-generationally as well as throughout a range of occupations and backgrounds. Regardless of age, family status, or location, professionals in 2024 want to work on their own terms. Ultimately, these findings not only reflect the shifting landscape of remote work but also point to the potential for organizations to adapt and evolve to accommodate more flexible work styles. So, who wants to work from home in 2024 and beyond? Practically everyone.
Complete Remote Work Demographics Survey Questions and Answers
Below, we included a complete list of questions posed to our two respondent groups as well as the percentage of answers submitted for each answer option. The results to follow are separated based on survey participants’ locations: 1. U.S. Remote Jobseeker Responses and 2. International Remote Jobseeker Responses.
What is your current employment status?
- Full-time employee (31%)
- Part-time employee (8%)
- Working multiple part-time jobs (4%)
- Contractor or self-employed (21%)
- Unemployed by choice (8%)
- Unable to work (1%)
- Retired (4%)
- Recently laid off or terminated (23%)
Do you currently work remotely?
- Yes, I work from home 100% of the time. (39%)
- Yes, I am based out of a home office, but I also have to travel for work. (5%)
- Yes, I work remotely part of the time, but also complete some of my work on-site and/or travel for work. (12%)
- No, I do not work remotely in any capacity. (44%)
Which of these work arrangements is most appealing to you?
- On-site: Working from a physical office in a traditional work environment. (5%)
- Hybrid: Time split between working from home and working from a traditional, onsite office. (11%)
- Fully Remote: Working from home 100% of the time with no field-travel; onsite onboarding or a periodic (i.e. quarterly or annual onsite meeting(s)/retreat(s) may be required); employers may ask that employees be located in a specific state, region, or country. (43%)
- Partially Remote: Working from home most of the time but also willing to travel for work as needed. (15%)
- Work from Anywhere: Fully remote but with no location parameters and no onsite requirements of any kind. (26%)
Are you the parent or primary caregiver of at least one loved one who is currently home with you, or would be home with you, during work hours?
- Yes (30%)
- No (70%)
Remote work increases employment access for workers with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and specific care needs. Do any of these disability classifications apply to your situation?*
*We asked survey participants to select as many responses as applied to their unique situations; therefore, total percentage amounts exceed 100%.
- Hearing difficulty (5%)
- Vision difficulty (3%)
- Cognitive difficulty (1%)
- Ambulatory difficulty (4%)
- Self-care difficulty (1%)
- Independent living difficulty (1%)
- Unseen disability (e.g. diabetes, autism, chronic pain, etc.) (22%)
- Multiple disabilities (5%)
- Other chronic health condition(s) (10%)
- Disability other than those listed (9%)
- No known disability (62%)
Remote work also increases employment access for veterans and military families. Do you have a connection to the military?
- Active duty member of the military (1%)
- Only on active duty for Reserves or National Guard training (1%)
- Military veteran (6%)
- Disabled military veteran (1%)
- Military spouse (5%)
- I do not have a military connection. This question does not apply to me. (86%)
What is your annual household income?
- Under $30,000 (24%)
- $30,000 – $59,999 (24%)
- $60,000 – $89,999 (19%)
- $90,000 – 119,999 (12%)
- $120,000 – $149,000 (8%)
- $150,000 or above (13%)
Does your current household income meet your needs and allow your household to live comfortably?
- Yes (35%)
- No (65%)
Ideally, which of these income ranges would you need in a current or future job to live the lifestyle you want?
- Under $30,000 (3%)
- $30,000 – $59,999 (15%)
- $60,000 – $89,999 (30%)
- $90,000 – 119,999 (22%)
- $120,000 – $149,000 (14%)
- $150,000 or above (16%)
Which of these top remote job industries interests you most?
- Information technology (12%)
- Healthcare (15%)
- Marketing (8%)
- Sales (2%)
- Financial (5%)
- Management (2%)
- Education (11%)
- Customer Service (9%)
- Human Services (4%)
- Project Management (3%)
- Accounting (2%)
- Human Resources (4%)
- Product Management (1%)
- Account Management (1%)
- Business Operations (5%)
- Writing (9%)
- Insurance (1%)
- Consulting (3%)
- Legal (2%)
- Program Management (1%)
What is the most frustrating part of an online job search?
- Job scams, especially when looking for work at home jobs (42%)
- Encountering old/expired jobs (13%)
- Not enough jobs in my industry (12%)
- Pay is too low (12%)
- Ensuring employment documents are uploaded in the correct file formats (2%)
- Too many required qualifications/degrees that do not impact someone’s ability to perform the job (19%)
Which of these options is the biggest job search frustration when it comes to employers?
- Long/complicated hiring process (9%)
- Employers ghosting/not providing feedback or status updates during the hiring process (31%)
- Unclear or vague job descriptions (4%)
- Jobs aren’t always remote, even if employers claim they are (13%)
- Unknown salary ranges (6%)
- Having my application screened by an algorithm rather than by a human being (37%)
What is your primary method of searching for remote jobs?
- General online job boards (e.g. Indeed, ZipRecruiter) (44%)
- Dedicated remote job board (e.g. Virtual Vocations) (23%)
- LinkedIn or other social networking sites (22%)
- Google or another search engine (5%)
- Company websites and career pages (3%)
- Networking and referrals from professional contacts (1%)
- Headhunters and recruiters (1%)
- Job fairs or hiring events (i.e. in-person or virtual) (1%)
Where do you live?
- Alabama (1%)
- Alaska (0%)
- Arizona (1%)
- Arkansas (1%)
- California (9%)
- Colorado (2%)
- Connecticut (2%)
- Delaware (1%)
- District of Columbia (0%)
- Florida (11%)
- Georgia (6%)
- Hawaii (1%)
- Idaho (0.25%)
- Illinois (3%)
- Indiana (3%)
- Iowa (1%)
- Kansas (2%)
- Kentucky (2%)
- Louisiana (1%)
- Maine (0%)
- Maryland (1%)
- Massachusetts (3%)
- Michigan (2%)
- Minnesota (2%)
- Mississippi (0.25%)
- Missouri (2%)
- Montana (0%)
- Nebraska (0.25%)
- Nevada (0.25%)
- New Hampshire (1%)
- New Jersey (3%)
- New Mexico (1%)
- New York (4%)
- North Carolina (3%)
- North Dakota (0%)
- Ohio (1%)
- Oklahoma (2%)
- Oregon (3%)
- Pennsylvania (1%)
- Rhode Island ( 0%)
- South Carolina (1%)
- South Dakota (00%)
- Tennessee (2%)
- Texas (12%)
- Utah (1%)
- Vermont (0%)
- Virginia (3%)
- Washington (4%)
- West Virginia (0%)
- Wisconsin (1%)
- Wyoming (0%)
What is the primary language spoken in your home?*
*Thirty-three respondents opted to not answer this question. Language percentages were calculated based on the adjusted respondent total.
- English (96%)
- Spanish (2%)
- Mandarin (0%)
- Hindi (0%)
- Bengali (0%)
- Arabic (0.50%)
- Portuguese (0.50%)
- Bahasa Indonesian (0%)
- Russian (0%)
- Turkish (0%)
- Japanese (0%)
- Swahili/Kiswahili (0%)
- Korean (0.50%)
- Javanese (0%)
- Punjabi (0%)
- German (0%)
- Vietnamese (0%)
- Urdu (0.50%)
- Persian (Farsi) (0%)
- Italian (0%)
- Other (0%)
What is your highest level of education?
- High school diploma or equivalent (5%)
- Some college credit or coursework completed (no degree) (15%)
- Vocational, trade, or technical training/certification (3%)
- Associate’s degree (8%)
- Bachelor’s degree (35%)
- Master’s degree (28%)
- Doctorate degree (5%)
- Professional degree (e.g. Juris Doctor) (2%)
What is your age range?
- 18 – 24 (2%)
- 25 – 34 (8%)
- 35 – 44 (12%)
- 45 – 54 (30%)
- 55 – 64 (32%)
- 65 – 74 (13%)
- 75 or above (3%)
How do you define your gender?
- Female (72%)
- Male (28%)
What is your marital status?
- Married (48%)
- Never married (25%)
- Divorced (16%)
- Separated (3%)
- Widowed (4%)
- Domestic partnership (4%)
How many dependents do you have?
- None (53%)
- 1 (22%)
- 2 (17%)
- 3 (5%)
- 4 (2%)
- More than 4 (1%)
Where do you live?
- Canada (4%)
- Mexico (3%)
- Caribbean Islands (0%)
- Central America (4%)
- Elsewhere in North America (1%)
- Africa (43%)
- Asia (25%)
- Europe (11%)
- Oceania (1%)
- South America (8%)
What is the primary language spoken in your home?*
*One respondent opted to not answer this question. Language percentages were calculated based on the adjusted respondent total.
- English (48%)
- Spanish (14%)
- Mandarin (1%)
- Hindi (5%)
- Bengali (2%)
- Arabic (2%)
- Portuguese (2%)
- Bahasa Indonesian (1%)
- Russian (0%)
- Turkish (1%)
- Japanese (1%)
- Swahili/Kiswahili (4%)
- Korean (0%)
- Javanese (0%)
- Punjabi (2%)
- German (0%)
- Vietnamese (0%)
- Urdu (7%)
- Persian (Farsi) (0%)
- Italian (1%)
- Other (9%) (Specify box: Tamil, IsiNdebele, Chichewa, Yoruba, Bosnian, Croatian, Armenian, Odia, Serbian, French, Polish, Albanian, Afrikaans, Greek, Hausa)
What is your highest level of education?
- High school diploma or equivalent (18%)
- Some college credit or coursework completed (no degree) (8%)
- Vocational, trade, or technical training/certification (3%)
- Associate’s degree (5%)
- Bachelor’s degree (45%)
- Master’s degree (16%)
- Doctorate degree (1%)
- Professional degree (e.g. Juris Doctor) (4%)
What is your age range?
- 18 – 24 (15%)
- 25 – 34 (35%)
- 35 – 44 (29%)
- 45 – 54 (12%)
- 55 – 64 (8%)
- 65 – 74 (1%)
- 75 or above (0)
How do you define your gender?
- Female (60%)
- Male (40%)
What is your marital status?
- Married (37%)
- Never married (48%)
- Divorced (2%)
- Separated (3%)
- Widowed (3%)
- Domestic partnership (7%)
How many dependents do you have?
- None (32%)
- 1 (20%)
- 2 (20%)
- 3 (14%)
- 4 (8%)
- More than 4 (6%)
What is your current employment status?
- Full-time employee (25%)
- Part-time employee (24%)
- Working multiple part-time jobs (7%)
- Contractor or self-employed (16%)
- Unemployed by choice (14%)
- Unable to work (5%)
- Retired (0)
- Recently laid off or terminated (9%)
Do you currently work remotely?
- Yes, I work from home 100% of the time. (37%)
- Yes, I am based out of a home office, but I also have to travel for work. (7%)
- Yes, I work remotely part of the time, but also complete some of my work on-site and/or travel for work. (21%)
- No, I do not work remotely in any capacity. (35%)
Which of these work arrangements is most appealing to you?
- On-site: Working from a physical office in a traditional work environment. (2%)
- Hybrid: Time split between working from home and working from a traditional, onsite office. (8%)
- Fully Remote: Working from home 100% of the time with no field-travel; onsite onboarding or a periodic (i.e. quarterly or annual onsite meeting(s)/retreat(s) may be required); employers may ask that employees be located in a specific state, region, or country. (42%)
- Partially Remote: Working from home most of the time but also willing to travel for work as needed. (13%)
- Work from Anywhere: Fully remote but with no location parameters and no onsite requirements of any kind. (35%)
Are you the parent or primary caregiver of at least one loved one who is currently home with you, or would be home with you, during work hours?
- Yes (37%)
- No (63%)
Remote work increases employment access for workers with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and specific care needs. Do any of these disability classifications apply to your situation?*
*We asked survey participants to select as many responses as applied to their unique situations; therefore, total percentage amounts exceed 100%.
- Hearing difficulty (2%)
- Vision difficulty (3%)
- Cognitive difficulty (1%)
- Ambulatory difficulty (1%)
- Self-care difficulty (1%)
- Independent living difficulty (1%)
- Unseen disability (e.g. diabetes, autism, chronic pain, etc.) (6%)
- Multiple disabilities (1%)
- Other chronic health condition(s) 3%)
- Disability other than those listed (1%)
- No known disability (87%)
Remote work also increases employment access for veterans and military families. Do you have a connection to the military?
- Active duty member of the military (2%)
- Only on active duty for training (1%)
- Military veteran (1%)
- Disabled military veteran (0)
- Military spouse ( 1%)
- I do not have a military connection. This question does not apply to me. (95%)
What is your approximate annual household income (in U.S. dollars)?
- Under $30,000 (68%)
- $30,000 – $59,999 (19%)
- $60,000 – $89,999 (7%)
- $90,000 – 119,999 (2%)
- $120,000 – $149,000 (3%)
- $150,000 or above (1%)
Does your current household income meet your needs and allow your household to live comfortably?
- Yes (23%)
- No (77%)
Ideally, which of these income ranges (in U.S. dollars) would you need in a current or future job to live the lifestyle you want?
- Under $30,000 (7%)
- $30,000 – $59,999 (38%)
- $60,000 – $89,999 (32%)
- $90,000 – 119,999 (10%)
- $120,000 – $149,000 (8%)
- $150,000 or above (5%)
Which of these top remote job industries interests you most?
- Information technology (17%)
- Healthcare (7%)
- Marketing (4%)
- Sales (1%)
- Financial (4%)
- Management (5%)
- Education (7%)
- Customer Service (19%)
- Human Services (6%)
- Project Management (4%)
- Accounting (3%)
- Human Resources (3%)
- Product Management (1%)
- Account Management (0%)
- Business Operations (3%)
- Writing (10%)
- Insurance (0%)
- Consulting (3%)
- Legal (0%)
- Program Management (3%)
What is the most frustrating part of an online job search?
- Job scams, especially when looking for work at home jobs (46%)
- Encountering old/expired jobs (4%)
- Not enough jobs in my industry (4%)
- Pay is too low (4%)
- Ensuring employment documents are uploaded in the correct file formats (1%)
- Too many required qualifications/degrees that do not impact someone’s ability to perform the job (14%)
- Determining if I can apply to a job when living outside of the U.S. (27%)
Which of these options is the biggest job search frustration when it comes to employers?
- Long/complicated hiring process (24%)
- Employers ghosting/not providing feedback or status updates during the hiring process (35%)
- Unclear or vague job descriptions (6%)
- Jobs aren’t always remote, even if employers claim they are (16%)
- Unknown salary ranges ( 8%)
- Having my application screened by an algorithm rather than by a human being (11%)
What is your primary method of searching for remote jobs?
- General online job boards (e.g. Indeed, ZipRecruiter) (19%)
- Dedicated remote job board (e.g. Virtual Vocations) ( 24%)
- LinkedIn or other social networking sites (34%)
- Google or another search engine (14%)
- Company websites and career pages (5%)
- Networking and referrals from professional contacts (3%)
- Headhunters and recruiters (1%)
- Job fairs or hiring events (i.e. in-person or virtual) (0%)
Where do you live?
- Canada (4%)
- Mexico (3%)
- Caribbean Islands (0%)
- Central America (4%)
- Elsewhere in North America (1%)
- Africa (43%)
- Asia (25%)
- Europe (11%)
- Oceania (1%)
- South America (8%)
What is the primary language spoken in your home?*
*One respondent opted to not answer this question. Language percentages were calculated based on the adjusted respondent total.
- English (48%)
- Spanish (14%)
- Mandarin (1%)
- Hindi (5%)
- Bengali (2%)
- Arabic (2%)
- Portuguese (2%)
- Bahasa Indonesian (1%)
- Russian (0%)
- Turkish (1%)
- Japanese (1%)
- Swahili/Kiswahili (4%)
- Korean (0%)
- Javanese (0%)
- Punjabi (2%)
- German (0%)
- Vietnamese (0%)
- Urdu (7%)
- Persian (Farsi) (0%)
- Italian (1%)
- Other (9%) (Specify box: Tamil, IsiNdebele, Chichewa, Yoruba, Bosnian, Croatian, Armenian, Odia, Serbian, French, Polish, Albanian, Afrikaans, Greek, Hausa)
What is your highest level of education?
- High school diploma or equivalent (18%)
- Some college credit or coursework completed (no degree) (8%)
- Vocational, trade, or technical training/certification (3%)
- Associate’s degree (5%)
- Bachelor’s degree (45%)
- Master’s degree (16%)
- Doctorate degree (1%)
- Professional degree (e.g. Juris Doctor) (4%)
What is your age range?
- 18 – 24 (15%)
- 25 – 34 (35%)
- 35 – 44 (29%)
- 45 – 54 (12%)
- 55 – 64 (8%)
- 65 – 74 (1%)
- 75 or above (0)
How do you define your gender?
- Female (60%)
- Male (40%)
What is your marital status?
- Married (37%)
- Never married (48%)
- Divorced (2%)
- Separated (3%)
- Widowed (3%)
- Domestic partnership (7%)
How many dependents do you have?
- None (32%)
- 1 (20%)
- 2 (20%)
- 3 (14%)
- 4 (8%)
- More than 4 (6%)
About Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations, Inc., founded in 2007, is a private, family-owned, and 100% distributed company. Co-founded by CEO Laura Spawn and her brother, CTO Adam Stevenson, Virtual Vocations connects jobseekers with legitimate, fully remote job openings. Virtual Vocations team members screen job postings to ensure the highest quality standards. To date, Virtual Vocations has helped more than four million jobseekers find flexible remote work options.
In addition to managing and curating a database that, at any given time, houses more than 15,000 current, hand-screened remote job openings, Virtual Vocations offers jobseekers a number of tools to aid in their job searches. These tools include exclusive, self-paced career courses, digital guides for popular virtual job industries, and downloadable worksheets. The Career Services Division also provides job coaching and interview prep, LinkedIn profile enhancement, and resume and cover letter writing. Virtual Vocations also releases multiple data-driven reports each year on current trends in remote work.
Send questions about Virtual Vocations’ remote work demographics survey results for 2024 to Kimberly Back. Kim is the Senior Job Data Content Producer. Please reach out to her at kim (at) virtualvocations (dot) com. We also encourage you to explore Virtual Vocations’ social media profiles and connect with us. Visit Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest for more remote work content and conversations.
Image credits: Canva
