With Uncertainty on the Horizon, Remote Roles Have an Additional Value: Workforce Diversity

The uncertain economy is causing business leaders to re-examine and reconsider workplace policies implemented during the past few years. Companies are making difficult, but pivotal decisions around flexibility, employee wellness, and talent development programs. And while LinkedIn data finds that remote job postings have passed their peak, professionals continue to make work flexibility one of their top priorities — this is particularly true with women and people of color.  

Prior to the pandemic, just 2% of the U.S. jobs posted on LinkedIn were listed as remote. That number peaked at nearly 20% in April 2022, and is now back to 15%. If corporate enthusiasm for remote positions has cooled a bit, the same cannot be said for the interest of the workforce. In September, remote jobs attracted more than half (51.5%) of all applications. 

Black and Latino workers — especially women — are particularly drawn to remote jobs

More than 10 million LinkedIn members have chosen to self-identify on our platform, which allows us to start analyzing aggregated workforce trends. What’s become clear is remote jobs are a major attraction for underrepresented communities. From January 2019 to October 2022, there was a 16% and 17% increase in the share of Latino and Black candidates, respectively, applying for remote jobs on LinkedIn. What’s really eye-opening, however, is the growth in the share of confirmed hires for remote positions. Black workers led the way with a 24% increase and Latino workers experienced a 5% increase in the share of confirmed hires. This makes remote jobs a compelling solution for companies who want to diversify their workforce. 

Many women who left the workforce during the pandemic due to the lack of flexibility around when and where work gets done are also driving this strong interest in remote work. During that same time frame, there was a 20% year-over-year increase in the share of women applying to remote jobs. There was also a 10% increase in the share of women who accepted an offer for a remote role. 

Our data reaffirmed that remote jobs are a major attraction to women from underrepresented groups. We’ve seen a 33% increase in the share of Latinas applying for remote jobs and a 27% increase in the share of Black women. Not only are these women applying to remote jobs, they are getting hired. In fact, there was a 14% increase in the share of Latinas getting hired for remote jobs. The increase for Black women was even more staggering at 27.5%. These insights enable companies to inform and implement recruiting and retention strategies that align with their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals and objectives. 

Create a more diverse talent pipeline by adding remote jobs

Talent professionals are at the forefront of employee attraction and retention and can help hiring managers create more diverse workplaces by sharing actionable data. This data has shown that when remote jobs are offered, employers gain access to a more diverse and robust talent pool that often brings different — and exceedingly valuable — perspectives to the workplace. It’s imperative for companies to keep flexible work arrangements, in all of their dimensions, on the table. Those that do will continue to attract diverse talent, and companies should consider remote work as indispensable to their DEI strategy. 

Need help with diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out the insights and best practices we’ve pulled together to help you advance your DEI goals and create more equitable outcomes across the talent lifecycle.

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