Going remote: marketing comes top in remote-working friendly industries

Marketing and media are the two industries most open to remote working, according to analysis of job postings on one of the UK’s largest job sites.

More than one in 10 of the 15,700-plus marketing jobs (13.5%) advertised on UK job listing site Indeed listed an option to work remotely, as well as 13.1% of media roles.

The research, from equity management platform Vestd shows that the marketing industry is the top for remote-working friendliness, beating IT (10.6% of jobs with remote working as an option), law (8.1%), advertising (8.8%) and finance (7.9%).

Ifty Nasir, CEO of Vestd, said: “Over the course of this year we have seen a number of politicians, business leaders and executives encouraging, and in some cases forcing, staff back to the offices. With this in mind, it is perhaps little surprise that many sectors are now recruiting for fewer remote roles. However, many have decided to remain in their own stead and embrace the benefits of remote working.

“For many sectors, these benefits are now widely acknowledged and remote working has enabled businesses to attract and retain their staff amid a ferocious battle for workers. And in building equity into a workplace, it can help to revitalise the workforce and align remote teams.”

Hospitality and retail most likely to demand presence ‘on the shop floor’

Across all industries analysed in the research, hospitality was the least likely to offer remote working – with just 0.5% of almost 60,000 jobs listed giving an option to work from home full-time. This was followed by retail (0.8%), manufacturing (0.9%) and education (1.4%) as, unsurprisingly, those industries where remote working as an option was in the minority.

Nasir added: “Following the ‘Great Resignation’ and the supposed rise of ‘quiet quitting’, businesses need to make sure they are offering employee incentives that make a difference to their lives and ensure they feel empowered working towards the same goal. As well as incentivising teams, our customers report that employee equity has a huge role in aligning remote teams.”