HR roles hit the hardest, but job seeker interest in remote work remains strong

According to a report from Indeed Hiring Lab on June 28, remote and hybrid job opportunities have decreased over the past year, particularly in the field of human resources. However, job seekers’ interest in remote work remains exceptionally high since early 2022.

In the report, Daniel Culbertson, an outreach economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, noted that despite the overall decline in job postings advertising flexible work arrangements, job seekers continue to actively search for remote and hybrid roles at near-record levels. Culbertson explained that this decline in postings masks growth in several fields as the job market cools and adjusts to broader economic factors impacting growth in other areas.

The report revealed that the share of job postings offering remote or hybrid work options decreased from a peak of 10.3% in February 2022 to 8.4% in May 2023. This decline can be attributed to the slowdown in hiring for occupations traditionally associated with remote and hybrid opportunities, such as corporate roles and software development/IT operations.

However, remote work is on the rise in more job categories than it is declining. Out of 55 job categories analyzed, 33 saw an increase in remote work, accounting for 49% of job postings on Indeed in May 2023. The most significant increase was observed in civil engineering roles, with nearly a quarter of positions being remote or hybrid, up from approximately 17% a year ago. Other job categories that experienced notable growth included social science, chemical engineering, and banking and finance.

Conversely, the largest decreases in remote or hybrid postings were seen in general corporate roles, including human resources, marketing, and media and communications. Human resources had the most significant decline, dropping from 23.9% in May 2022 to 19.2% in May 2023.

Culbertson suggested that employers in these categories may feel less pressure to offer remote work as related job postings have substantially declined over the past year. Additionally, as some employers are calling workers back to the physical workplace, the decrease in remote positions for human resources could be voluntary, with HR professionals aiming to demonstrate their value to leaders. Sources indicate that HR workers may need to take more strategic risks this year, and some may believe that in-person communication with leadership could be beneficial.