Number of remote job roles declining

The number of remote jobs being advertised has seen a decline as more businesses look to increase time spent in the office.

Last month, the number of jobs listed as being fully remote stood at 4.4%, which was down compared to 5.8% in January 2023. Hybrid working, however, has seen slight growth over the last year, increasing by 0.5% between March 2023 and March 2024.

The WilsonHCG research also found there is currently high demand for AI specialists; 2,971 AI specific job roles were advertised last month with data scientist being the most sought-after AI role, followed by senior data scientists and machine learning engineers.

Craig Sweeney, EVP of global strategic talent solutions at WilsonHCG, said, “The slowdown in hiring is perhaps expected given the economic climate, while the drop in remote job postings does suggest that even more employers are opting for a return to office.

“Given the positive impact that more flexible working practices can have on diverse recruitment and employee retention, it’s encouraging to see that hybrid working options are slowly increasing.

“More broadly, the data does suggest that demand for AI specialists is continuing to rise. And it shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the latest news that Microsoft is launching an AI hub in London.

“The demand for AI expertise is growing across businesses of all sizes, so competition for both general and specialist AI skills is going to intensify over the coming months. Employers need to ensure they’re in a position to both bring in new resources and expand and grow skillsets within the business to create a sustainable talent pool.”

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