You don’t have to be a career exper to have a good sense of the biggest career trend since Covid-19 upended our lives.
You guessed it: remote work. Remote work was already on the rise pre-pandemic as technology has evolved to allow many more jobs to be executed remotely.
Data from Statista shows that while just 17% of workers were remote before Covid-19, as of April 2021, 44% were working fully remote five days a week. Upwork predicts that while the number of remote workers may taper off from these historic highs, at least 22% will still be working fully remotely by 2025, which represents an 87% increase from pre-pandemic numbers.
If you’ve been hoping to pivot to a role that offers remote work possibilities, or you’re looking down the road and hoping to make a change in your career, now is an amazing time to explore your remote work options.
Not all industries are evolving in their capacity to offer remote work in the same ways. With this in mind, you may want to focus your search for remote work on opportunities in some of the top industries that offer the most remote potential.
Here are the top seven Industries with in demand jobs for remote workers.
Cybersecurity
You may have noticed cybersecurity has been front of mind in the world of business over the past few years. Cyber crime and cyber threats are on the rise, and recent events such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, which caused countless people on the East Coast to rush to the gas station before their gas tanks—and the gas supply—runs out for the weekend, have shown that cyber crime can have disastrous effects across industries.
In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic led to a 600% increase in cyber crime, and it makes sense given how many more people were working from home, on unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
The rise of remote work resulting from pandemic lockdowns has also led to an increase in cybersecurity threats. A Deloitte study found more than 500,000 instances of data theft related to videoconferencing between February and May 2020.
A survey of IT professionals found that only 45% of respondents were confident that their company's IT budget could handle the increased cybersecurity threats resulting from remote work.
All of these factors mean that expertise in cybersecurity will continue to be sought after in many professions, and we are likely to see cybersecurity related jobs on the rise well into the future.
As remote work continues, we’re likely to see more remote jobs for IT and cybersecurity professionals as well. If you want to be one of these professionals, enroll now at the CALC Institute of Technology.
Digital marketing
According to a FlexJobs report on remote jobs with growth potential in 2021, marketing, especially digital marketing, is one of the top growing spaces for remote workers.
This should come as no surprise, as we’re all spending a lot more time online these days. Our screen time may be up because of remote meetings and working from home, but data shows we’re also looking at our phones more.
In 2019, the average American spent three hours per day on their phones. In 2020, that number increased to four hours per day. That’s 365 more phone-time hours per year, or equivalent to more than nine regular work weeks!
It’s no wonder the marketing and PR space is increasingly focused on digital marketing as a major strategy, as companies use services like backlinks from www.agencybacklinks.com just for their marketing strategies. This indicates that more digital marketing jobs will surface for remote workers.
Digital marketing was also listed as one of the top 15 jobs on the rise in 2021 based on LinkedIn data. If you have experience in this arena, or are looking to make a pivot, digital marketing is an excellent field to explore.
Customer service
Another major effect of the pandemic was a bump in the already growing E-Commerce sector.
When many Americans were stuck at home, delivery from online retailers was their only means to access consumer goods. Others cancelled their vacations and spent much less money on dining, which left them with extra discretionary income. This came together to represent a 44% growth in E-Commerce sales in the U.S..
This massive increase in online spending, coupled with delayed delivery times, meant that the need for remote customer service representatives spiked.
A customer service job is a great place to start if you are looking for an entry-level remote job with the potential for growth into management roles. Especially in the start-up space, customer service jobs can be a great stepping stone to higher paying positions.
Tutors and education professionals
The pandemic reframed not only how we think about remote options in the world of work, but also how we envision the possibilities of remote learning and education.
Hiring for jobs in the education sectors saw 20% growth between 2019 and 2020.
With the rise of homeschooling, schools exploring online models and the need for support as education professionals navigate the “new normal” of online education, there has been strong growth in many sectors of education careers. To find more about educational resources, check this essay writing service reddit.
Here are some of the in demand skills for professionals in the education space:
Tutoring can also be an excellent way to be a remote worker with an education focus. The online tutoring sector is expected to grow by $153 billion between 2021 and 2025, which certainly means more remote work opportunities for those interested in tutoring.
If you are interested in exploring online and remote learning education careers, check out FlexJobs list of the top 10 companies hiring for remote jobs in education.
Experts in workplace diversity
Amid all the myriad changes of 2020, we have seen an increased focus on addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. The protests of summer 2020 shined a bright light on the need to rectify institutional bias and discrimination within all spaces of our society, especially in the world of work.
As more and more companies hope to combat prejudice and address bias within their own organizations, there will be an ever-growing need for expert consultants with experience in issues related to DEI.
Data indicates that hiring for DEI roles has risen by 90% since 2019. It’s no wonder that consultant roles for those with expertise in DEI consistently topped lists of the most in demand remote jobs in 2021.
Nonprofit
The 2021 Flexjobs report on top flexible careers in 2021 includes the nonprofit sector as one the fastest growing spaces for remote and flexible jobs.
Some of the most in demand roles and skills include:
I know a lot of people who have made the transition from corporate America to working in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. I also know a lot more who have told me they have always wanted to make this move. If that sounds like you, maybe this year is your chance to make a difference by contributing in the non profit space.
Not sure where to start your search? Foundation List has created a very helpful list of 24 job boards with postings from the nonprofit sector.
Translation/bilingual job roles
One could argue that we are more globally connected than ever before. Amid unprecedented digital connectedness, the demand for bilingual and multilingual remote workers is greater than ever.
FlexJobs noted that job roles that require multilingual skills are among the fastest growing jobs in remote work.
Translator jobs are in especially high demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also noted that jobs for interpreters and translators are expected to grow by 20% between 2019 and 2029.
It isn’t just translator jobs that will favor those who are bilingual. Language skills will be in high demand across many industries, including the medical sector, education and customer service, and the list goes on.
If you are bilingual, or multilingual, you may be able to parlay your language skills into one of many remote opportunities.
While we are beginning to see the return to the office, remote jobs and flexible jobs are definitely here to stay. It’s a very exciting time to be exploring the job market, as some of the limitations of geography and the need to work in person are becoming less and less important.
I predict that this will only open up more opportunities for job seekers to share their diverse perspectives and skills. If 2021 is your year to find the perfect remote job, I wish you all the best!
