Remote work spreads across businesses amid COVID-19

New Delhi: Searches for remote work skyrocketed by 966 per cent year-on-year last month as geographical boundaries are blurring while employers hire and job seekers scout for opportunities, according to online job site Indeed.

It said the COVID-19 pandemic has defined the significance of skills as a top priority for hiring as opposed to the location of the job seeker.

"This also reflected in another study conducted by Indeed which stated that businesses are strategically adopting technological innovations to attract the right skill set and increase efficiency."

The study also stated that one in two employers hired only virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, as India grapples with the second wave, companies are focusing on hiring employees that offer the required skill set irrespective of the city where applicants are based.

It is expected that employers will increase work-from-home options, embracing hybrid work as the future of work, said the online platform.

Data shows that Bengaluru tops the chart for remote job searches with 16 per cent followed by Delhi (11 per cent), Mumbai (8 per cent), Hyderabad (6 per cent) and Pune (7 per cent).

With an increasing need for technical integration across functions and sectors, job roles that require technical expertise to ensure seamless working have been the most in demand.

Technical support specialist (25 per cent) emerge as one of the most searched remote jobs followed by data entry clerk (22 per cent), IT recruiter (16 per cent), content writer (16 per cent) and backend developer (15 per cent).

Sashi Kumar, Managing Director of Indeed India, said the COVID-19 pandemic has fast-tracked the adoption of technology across functions and set in motion the largest work-from-home experiment of generation.

"As businesses transition digitally, it has become a norm for employees and companies to work from anywhere. This change enabled by technology will see more and more companies turning to hybrid work in the future," he said.

"We believe that going forward, recruiters will focus on the role and skills-based hiring, thus blurring geographical boundaries."