Remote work is becoming the new normal, thanks to the right mix of employee demand for work-life balance and companies investing in resources that enable a work-from-anywhere arrangement.
Of course, not all jobs lend themselves to a fully remote work experience, and people with certain skill sets may find it easier to make the leap to the flexible working world. A report from teleconferencing company Owl Labs found that the industries with the highest shares of remote workers include health care, technology/internet, financial services, education and manufacturing. By department, remote workers are more likely to be in facilities and operations, IT, customer support, sales and administrative roles.
FlexJobs, a job search engine specializing in remote-work opportunities, analyzed its user database to determine which career categories had the highest number of workers but the fewest opportunities, as well as the areas where there are more opportunities than workers to fill them.
Job seekers hoping to use their backgrounds in administration, data entry, nonprofits and media may face tough competition among many other applicants and a lower number of available openings. Meanwhile, those with skills in STEM, pharmaceuticals, foreign languages and social work may have an easier time using their background to secure a fully remote job.
Based on the career site's 34,000 jobs across 50 job categories, here are the most and least competitive remote jobs on the market.
Most competitive flex job categories
Administrative
- Common job titles: administrative assistant, executive assistant, scheduler
- Companies hiring: Delegate Solutions, Robert Half International, SAP
Data entry
- Common job titles: data administrator, data entry clerk, data processor
- Companies hiring: Kforce, OfficeTeam, Randstad
Advertising and PR
- Common job titles: advertising sales, publishing clerk, PR manager and director
- Companies hiring: Facebook, WunderLand Group, Pernod Ricard USA
Art and creative
- Common job titles: art director, graphic designer, photographer
- Companies hiring: Airbnb, Creative Niche, Weight Watchers International
Environmental and green
- Common job titles: program director, field energy analyst, consultant and technician
- Companies hiring: Leidos, ICF, Sodexo
Editing and writing
- Common job titles: content writer, copy editor, copywriter
- Companies hiring: Creative Circle, The Hustle, Vitamin T
Government and politics
- Common job titles: telephone researcher, statistician, Census field worker
- Companies hiring: Center for Media Justice, ACI Federal, U.S. Department of Commerce
Nonprofit and philanthropy
- Common job titles: program coordinator, fundraising manager, community representative
- Companies hiring: American Red Cross, Teach for America, Sierra Club
Entertainment and media
- Common job titles: video editor, production assistant, writer and reporter
- Companies hiring: Vox Media, Healthline Media
Travel and hospitality
- Common job titles: travel consultant, sales director, program manager
- Companies hiring: Hilton, Marriott, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Least competitive flex job categories
Computer and IT
- Common job titles: data engineer, senior network engineer, technical lead
- Companies hiring: Citizens Bank, Concentrix, VMware
Sales
- Common job titles: marketing manager, customer service, account executive
- Companies hiring: Apple, Salesforce, Zendesk
Medical and health
- Common job titles: health care information specialist, pharmaceutical representative, patient advocate
- Companies hiring: UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Humana
Math and economics
- Common job titles: data scientist, data analyst, teacher or online instructor
- Companies hiring: K12, Kaplan, Pearson
Bilingual
- Common job titles: language tutor, customer success manager, interpreter
- Companies hiring: AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Aerotek
Pharmaceutical
- Common job titles: account specialist, specialty representative, pharmacist
- Companies hiring: CVS Health, Magellan Health, Abbott
Business development
- Common job titles: account executive, sales specialist, business development manager
- Companies hiring: Adobe, Symantec, Kelly Services
Internet and e-commerce
- Common job titles: software engineer, social media specialist, community support associate
- Companies hiring: Amazon, Wayfair, Groupon
Marketing
- Common job titles: digital marketing analyst, marketing coordinator, SEO specialist
- Companies hiring: Auth0, GitLab, Zhivago Partners
Social work
- Common job titles: licensed clinical social worker, care manager, community outreach manager
- Companies hiring: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Highmark, AbleTo
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