New study reveals most progressively remote UK job sectors

A new study has revealed IT & Telecoms, Charity and Media, Digital & Creative, as the topmost progressively flexible sectors, possessing the highest percentage of remote job roles on offer. 

The beginning of the year is peak time for both hiring and job hunting – Preply’s latest study analyses January 2022 UK job listings, highlighting the most ‘remote’ sectors.

It was recently revealed that when asked if they would prefer to return to the office, a majority of Brits said they would rather keep working remotely. The average employee is constantly challenged with balancing work with their personal life, so it makes total sense that the flexibility remote working can provide is not something people want to let go of.

Pursuing a career in a sector that adapts to your life by progressively adopting Flexi-work structures such as remote work, 4-day working weeks and hybrid roles are becoming an increasingly popular notion.

Conducted by e-learning platform Preply, the study analyses January 2022 job listings (see methodology for further detail), ranking each job sector by the percentage of roles that offer the option for remote working. Other relevant factors the analysis also highlights are the percentage of remote jobs that are part-time, average salary and the UK cities seeing the highest increase in demand for those specifically looking for remote work.

With remote job roles making up for almost a quarter of total jobs listed (23%), ranking top is ‘IT & Telecoms’. The predominantly virtual sector also ranks in second place for having the most number of jobs on offer, indicating the industry is undersaturated and therefore less challenging to secure a job.

The second most progressive sector is the ‘Media, Digital & Creative’ sector, for which the study found ⅕ of all job roles listed are remote (18%). If you’re also keen on securing a remote job that doesn’t compromise on salary, the average salary for ‘Media, Digital & Creative’ roles (£34,913.33) is the 7th highest among all other sectors. Close behind in third, with 16% of roles listed being remote roles is the ‘Charity’ sector.

Whether they’re after a better work-life balance or looking to jet off to work with a view of a sandy beach or mountain landscape, the Welsh city of Swansea has seen the highest increase in searches for remote jobs since 2018, with searches up by a whopping 1,575%.

The second-highest increase in demand is seen in the city of Leicester, with a 1,239% hike in ‘remote jobs’ searches, meaning those in Leicester not only placed second in the UK but are also England’s topmost avid at seeking out remote roles. Birmingham has seen the UK’s third-highest increase (up 971%), followed by Northampton (up 783%) and Leeds (up 766%) respectively.

In Scotland, those most interested in finding remote roles are the Glaswegians, with searches for remote work Glasgow up by 376% over the last 3 years. In Northern Ireland, the capital city of Belfast takes top place where applicants are evermore keen on finding remote work (+310%). 

Understandably, some jobs just can’t be done remotely and the sectors found ranking bottom will find themselves there because they are predominantly ‘manual’ or ‘face-to-face’. This is definitely the case for the lowest ranking sectors Hospitality, Manufacturing and Motoring – in each of which fewer than 1% of jobs listed are remote roles. 

There is a silver lining for those who are keen on working in ‘Hospitality’, as it’s revealed to offer the highest percentage of part-time remote roles – over half of remote roles (57%) listed being part-time.

Although it is met with scepticism by some, the adaptation to remote work structures not only benefits employees but also enables companies to take their pick from the most talented individuals from all around the world. Equally, for prospective students or those considering an industry change, guidance on which sectors to venture into is increasingly valued. Deciding on the sector in which one sees themselves having a great career, will enable them to pinpoint the skills they can pick up that will make them indispensable.