{"id":179830,"date":"2020-02-07T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.virtualvocations.com\/blog\/?p=179830"},"modified":"2024-11-19T13:36:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T18:36:59","slug":"january-2020-remote-jobs-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virtualvocations.com\/blog\/annual-statistical-remote-work-reports\/january-2020-remote-jobs-report\/","title":{"rendered":"January 2020 Remote Jobs Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

What has the remote work landscape looked like so far in 2020? In this January 2020 Remote Jobs Report, Virtual Vocations<\/a> analyzes remote work trends, national jobseeker data, and remote jobseeker preferences that fueled working from home during the first month of the new year.<\/em><\/p>\n

January 2020 Remote Jobs Report<\/h2>\n

January 2020 is already in the books and the demand for remote jobs has never been higher. In fact, over the next five years, 42% of home-based and virtual workers plan to work remotely more frequently than they already do, according to the OWL Labs State of Remote Work 2019<\/a> report. The good news is these remote workers will have greater opportunities to expand their telework career prospects.<\/p>\n

In The Modern Workplace 19\/20<\/a>, Condeco\u2019s business trends analysis revealed that 43% of U.S. employers plan to offer more telecommuting arrangements for employees in 2020 and only 9% of employers plan to reduce or restrict remote work options this year.<\/p>\n

\"Laura<\/picture>“With every new year of remote work growth more brick-and-mortar offices open avenues for telecommuting and flexible work models that accommodate a greater variety of talented professionals across nearly every career sector.<\/em><\/p>\n

And thanks to the expansion of the remote work model and associated technologies, employers and employees alike are no longer limited by location. They can collaborate in real-time to effectively produce work without sacrificing productivity, quality or team-based company culture.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations CEO and Co-Founder<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

BLS Jobs Report Analysis for Remote Workers<\/h3>\n

On January 10, 2020, the BLS released the\u00a0December 2019 Jobs Report<\/a> detailing the employment situation in the country. Since December is a good month to apply to remote jobs<\/a>, the state of the job market at the close of the year is telling for the employment prospects of job candidates as they hope to land new roles in the new year.<\/p>\n

Unemployed Laborers and Remote Work<\/em><\/h4>\n

During December, jobs added to the U.S. economy fell short of expectations with more than 160,000 new jobs projected and only 145,000 added to the market. Despite the missed mark, the unemployment rate remained at a 50-year low of 3.5%, which equals roughly 5.8 million unemployed persons. An additional 1.2 million persons were classified as \u201cmarginally attached to the labor force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marginally attached individuals had a desire to work, were available for work, and had applied to at least one job in the last year; however, they were not considered among the unemployed population because they had not applied to a job within the previous month. Approximately 77% of those classified as marginally attached to the labor force cited responsibilities to family and school as reasons why they had not recently searched for jobs, indicating a juxtaposition between elements of their professional and personal lives.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the majority of remote jobseekers who utilize Virtual Vocations services name flexibility as the number one reason they pursue remote work. Home-based and fully virtual jobs are more likely to foster greater work-life balance or work-life integration<\/a> in the lives of professionals seeking increased control over how and when they work. Remote work could be the solution for individuals marginally attached to the labor force who want to work but need to balance personal commitments.<\/p>\n

Growing U.S. Job Industries<\/em><\/h4>\n

The job industries with the most notable growth heading into January were healthcare and leisure and hospitality. Both of these career fields are conducive to remote work. Healthcare<\/a> has remained a top-five remote job industry since 2015 and leisure and hospitality remote jobs can be found in the travel category<\/a> in the Virtual Vocations job board.<\/p>\n

Remote Job Search Preferences of Virtual Vocations Jobseekers<\/h3>\n

\"Remote<\/picture><\/p>\n

For this January 2020 Remote Jobs Report, it was important to consider the job search preferences of professionals actively applying to remote jobs. Leading into the new year, jobseekers who utilized the Virtual Vocations job board<\/a> to apply to jobs that would allow them to work from home most often applied to the following types of remote jobs:<\/p>\n