Demand for remote workers sees an uptick

Job sites are seeing an increase in work from home (WFH) postings by recruiters, as the covid-19 crisis has balanced the demand-supply equation.

While candidates’ demand for WFH was always high, many employers were reluctant, creating a low supply of such jobs, according to industry executives.

Amid the ongoing challenges where people are unable to commute to work, India’s largest job search portal, Naukri.com, has seen a doubling of WFH job postings, and jobseekers are increasingly searching for WFH jobs.

“WFH jobs have gone up by 2X in the third week of April compared with the first week of March. ‘WFH jobs’ as a jobseeker search keyword ranked No. 2 on our platform in the third week of April compared with the first week of March when it was at 33,” said Pawan Goyal, chief business officer, Naukri.com.

JobsforHer, a job portal targeted at women, has seen a 30% growth in the number of applicants for WFH jobs compared with March 2019. Started five years ago to help women restart careers after a break, today JobsforHer has evolved to help women enhance their careers.

“A lot of women were always looking for WFH job opportunities as they had constraints to work full-time in office,” said Neha Bagaria, founder and chief executive, JobsforHer.

“But the supply has traditionally been bigger than demand and we received hundreds of job applications the moment a WFH job was posted. Now, we are seeing a rise in demand as employers have realized it is possible to allow remote working without impacting productivity.”

Although the demand for WFH jobs was always high for roles such as content writing, design, telesales, and recruitment, today the playing field has expanded to core information technology roles such as software developers, Bagaria said.

Employers are also willing to pay more for remote working jobs. “WFH jobs with CTC (cost to company) greater than ₹5 lakh per annum has doubled on Naukri.com’s platform in April compared with February,” said Goyal.

The new normal of WFH has also led to a need for reskilling especially in digital skills, according to staffing firms.

“This is the beginning of a fundamental transformation in how we work. But remote working will also bring to the fore that the future of work is all about skills,” said Anne Soumya, human resources director, Adecco Group India.