Main image of article Are Remote Tech Jobs Rising Again?

Earlier this year, it seemed as if remote tech positions were in decline. According to analyst firm CompTIA’s analysis of job posting data, fewer employers were allowing their tech professionals to work from home full-time. However, new data suggests the trend might be shifting yet again.

CompTIA’s latest numbers suggest the number of remote tech positions rose between February and March—and quite significantly, at least in some cases. Here’s the full breakdown:

Over the past several months, organizations of all shapes and sizes have done their best to reintroduce employees to the office. The biggest of the tech giants, including Amazon and Apple, have asked their workers to return to their office desk for at least a few days a week, arguing that in-person interaction is better for organizational culture and workflow. Many smaller companies have followed that lead, as well.

“It’s easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a Feb. 17 memo to employees. “Of course, there will be plenty of meetings that will have significant virtual participation, but having more in-person interactions helps people absorb the culture better.”

However, tech professionals have made it clear that they want either remote or hybrid (i.e., returning to the office just a few days per week) work. Via a LinkedIn poll in March, Dice asked tech professionals if they’d quit their all-remote job if their company issued a return-to-office mandate. Some 42 percent of respondents said they would quit, while another 45 percent said they would only stay if a hybrid work option was offered.

With the tech unemployment rate currently stable at a (historically low) 2.2 percent, tech professionals with the right mix of skills and experience also know they have the leverage to demand flexible schedules and hybrid work. While not every company will offer them the chance to work remotely, it’s clear that remote and hybrid options are very much still on the table—and not disappearing anytime soon.