Member Article

These are the industries offering the most remote work in the UK

New data has revealed which industries and job roles are the most suited to those wanting the option to work from home forever once the pandemic passes. B2B technology provider, KIT Online, has scraped Indeed data from more than 431,000 jobs to find the percentage of permanent remote work available for over 100 popular job roles and industries in the UK. It filtered out roles which are hiring on a temporary WFH basis, as we continue in this lockdown period.

Interestingly, the industry with the most remote jobs on offer was copywriting and content marketing (21.02%), with web development (15.72%), and journalism (15.28%) rounding out the top three.

At the other end of the scale, quantity surveying proved to be the least likely role for employees to work where they feel most productive, with just 0.23% remote jobs available. The closest after was those working in the technician industry (1.56%) and construction (2.13%).

Only 7.97% of the entire jobs available online were fully remote, offering the applicants the opportunity to work where they feel they work best.

The coronavirus crisis has shone a light on the benefits of flexible working to British workers. A YouGov survey found that prior to the outbreak, almost two thirds of British employees had never worked from home. Yet once the crisis passes, 57% of workers want to continue doing so.

Jobseekers looking for more remote work can look into how their skills fit within these roles and sectors. Take a look below to find out how your career ranks…

Top 5 industries for remote working:

1 - Copywriting and content marketing - 21.02%

2 - Web development - 15.72%

3 - Journalism - 15.28%

4 - Video and photography - 13.75%

5 - Design - 13.16%

Worst 5 industries for remote working:

1 - Quantity Surveyor - 0.23%

2 - Technician - 1.56%

3 - Construction - 2.13%

4 - Logistics - 2.88%

5 - Graduate work - 3.01%

The majority of construction and property workers want to avoid the office after lockdown. Yet with less than 3% of jobs available being remote, only a lucky few will be able to embrace remote working. Just three jobs out of 1332 available in quantity surveying were listed as remote, 132 jobs out of a possible 8479 in technician roles, and 29 jobs out of a whopping 1353 in construction.

Those working in the manual trade are typically seen as less likely to do remote work. However it can actually help those in management positions in logistics, construction, and engineering to focus on administrative tasks, and save time and money by working where they want to be. In these traditionally ‘hands on’ jobs, new technology encourages employers to take note. For example, those in managerial positions are beginning to upgrade to lighter, portable, robust devices which are so powerful that they no longer require both laptops and an office-based desktop. Instead, they can use the same machine for their work purposes on site and when writing reports and revising designs from home.

CEO’s have almost five times more chance of a remote role than a graduate:

• 14.71% of CEO jobs were remote
• 3.01% of graduate roles were remote.

Trust has never been more important in the move to working from home - and these graphs paint a picture that perhaps there is a lack of trust in some industries. In management roles, CEOs had their pick of almost 15% remote jobs. While for graduate roles, those starting out in their career had just 3.01% chance of finding a role.

Pete Braithwaite, COO at KIT Online:

“The office is not dead - some much prefer being around others. But remote, flexible working is now an essential requirement for many companies. More employees are viewing it as a work perk, which many would prefer to continue once the pandemic passes. Those working in the manual trade are typically seen as less likely to do remote work. However it can actually help those in management positions in logistics, construction, and engineering to focus on administrative tasks, and save time and money by working where they want to be.

“Companies have the chance to hire people from across the country to increase the value they deliver to customers, as remote work isn’t limited by location. Remote work is becoming a part of life for many organisations, and I hope more industries follow in the footsteps of the creative and development industries in the next few years. It will be interesting to see what next year will bring.”

Methodology

Using 100 of the most popular job industries in the UK, KIT Online studied all active job roles on UK job site Indeed. It scraped 431,000 roles to find the percentage of permanent remote work available. It filtered out roles which are hiring on a temporary WFH basis, as we continue in this lockdown period.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by KIT Online .