Remote work has gone through two major waves: an astonishing increase from 2020 to 2022, and then a slow but steady decline from 2022–2024. Now that remote work has stabilized, what happens next? Looking at the data, the share of remote jobs is consistent, but the kinds of workers offered remote jobs are changing. 

The Spike and the Plateau

First, let’s look at the recent history of remote work. Comparing the US and the UK gives us a point of comparison for both, so let’s look at them side by side. Pre-pandemic, remote working was by far more popular in the US than in the UK: in 2019, 2.3% of job postings in the US were advertised as either remote or hybrid, compared to 1.5% in the UK. Then the surge came.

In both countries, remote working surged during the pandemic and peaked around 2022—7% of postings in the US, 8% of postings in the UK. After hitting their peak in 2022, now approximately 5.6% of US job postings are classified as remote, 1.2% as hybrid. 

The biggest difference has been the impact on hybrid working, which grew little in the US but skyrocketed in the UK, going from less than 0.01% of postings in 2019 to a peak of 6.5% in 2023 and still tracking at around 6% at the beginning of 2025. 

So we’ve seen a decline from the all-time high levels of remote postings, but the baseline has changed, probably permanently. This new level is three times higher than pre-pandemic in the US, and eight times higher in the UK.

(What happens to retention at companies that try to bring workers back into the office? Read what Lightcast expert Cole Napper had to share that a few weeks ago.)

Here’s what that remote work now looks like by industry—they’re largely the same between the two countries, with IT and Computer Science at the top, followed by other knowledge-work jobs. Transportation, Personal Services, and Hospitality—more hands-on industries—are low on the list. 

This matches up well with education requirements for remote roles: an increasing share requires a bachelor’s degree or higher. As Lightcast Senior Economist Christopher Laney has shared, “Before 2020, 42% of remote jobs [in the US] required a bachelor’s degree or higher. Today, that figure has risen to 54%, meaning that the majority of remote-friendly jobs now go to workers with a college degree.” 

Which Workers Can Go Remote? 

In 2020 and the years immediately following, remote work was a necessity. In the years since, it has been viewed more as a privilege—which is why executive leadership often tries to justify return-to-office mandates as a measure to improve performance. And if a privilege must be earned, the result is this: remote and hybrid work are increasingly becoming perks reserved for more experienced professionals.

While the overall volume of these postings is higher, the types of roles offered have changed. Entry-level positions now represent a significantly smaller share of remote and hybrid opportunities. 

This trend signals that companies are leveraging remote and hybrid work as a powerful tool to attract and retain seasoned talent. Offering such flexibility can be a significant competitive advantage in today's tight labor market.

Here we look at the change in tenure of workers working outside of the office at two moments in time: Pre-Covid (2019) and 2024.

Yet, this development also poses a critical challenge: the potential for a knowledge gap. If experienced professionals are primarily working remotely or in hybrid settings, where will the next generation of employees learn and develop? The informal mentorship and on-the-job training that occur organically in traditional office environments may be lost. This raises questions about how companies will foster the growth of their junior employees in this evolving work landscape. Businesses must find innovative ways to bridge this gap, ensuring that new talent receives the necessary guidance and support to thrive..

Companies that crack this code—creating meaningful remote and in-person experiences for ALL career stages—will win the talent war.

Thanks for reading On The Job, a regular roundup of ideas, trends, and research from Lightcast that shape how we see the world of work. Curious about the data behind our stories? Our team of economists and researchers are always exploring the latest labor market trends—we’re here to help and we’d love to chat. 

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