This originally appeared on Forbes on April 2, 2024.
As of January 2024, LinkedIn reports that there were twice the number of applications to remote roles than there were remote roles available. But despite the enormous interest by prospective talent in remote work, remote roles are getting harder to find. LinkedIn cites a dramatic drop in remote role availability: remote job postings are down 23% from this time last year. It is important to note that the report does not use the terms "remote" and "hybrid" interchangeably.
Josh Graff, managing director of EMEA/LATAM and global VP at LinkedIn, shared some insights behind the numbers — and paints an interesting picture of the supply and demand for flexible work in the job market.
"While remote job postings in Europe have fallen since the end of the pandemic, the appetite for them remains incredibly high," says Graff. "They are among the most competitive jobs; if you look at the U.K., 9% of jobs are fully remote today, but they are attracting 18% of applicants." In the U.S., only 10% of posted roles are fully remote, yet received 46% of all applications.