Searches for Remote Work Surge in India as Social Distancing Takes Hold

Mumbai: According to data from Indeed, the world’s no. 1 job site, job seekers across the country are showing greater interest in working remotely amid the COVID-19 crisis. Job seekers are increasingly searching for terms like ‘remote’, ‘work from home’ and related phrases. Searches for remote work have also increased by over 261% as a share of all searches on Indeed India since February 2020, however, the number of available job postings for remote work opportunities has remained relatively unchanged during the same time period.

Overall, job searches have increased by 278% as a share of all searches on Indeed India since September 2019.

Commenting on the trend, Pawel Adrjan, Economist at Indeed said, “Flexibility has always been a vital aspect of job opportunities to job seekers, especially millennials, who today make up over half of India’s working population. In challenging times like these, being able to continue working remotely serves as an asset, not only to the job seeker’s skill set but also in helping the organization maintain business continuity.”

A previous study by Indeed India shows that 83% of job seekers consider a remote work policy an important factor when searching for a job, so much so that 53% of employees would consider taking a pay cut in order to have access to remote working options. 56% of employees and 83% of employers concur that offering flexibility in working can help boost productivity.