With 2015 in the books, it’s time to share telecommuting trends and insights that we garnered over the last year—our most successful to date.
As the largest and most comprehensive online database of telecommute-only jobs and telecommute-friendly employers, Virtual Vocations spent 2015 furthering its mission to provide remote job seekers with a safe haven for their online job search. Throughout 2015 our staff reviewed over 500,000 potential telecommute jobs. Those that met our standards, which you can learn more about on our FAQ page, were added to our Telecommute Jobs Database.
Approved telecommute jobs are classified in our database using criteria like the following:
- Job Category – Our list of more than 40 telecommute job categories includes popular telecommute-friendly industries, such as Information Technology, Writing, and Graphic Design, as well as more surprising selections like Engineering and Nursing
- Job Type – This classification tells job seekers if an open position is a full-time or part-time job, a paid internship, a temporary gig, or a permanent or contract role
- Telecommute Status – The Telecommute Status selection defines whether a telecommute job can be worked from anywhere or if the job is location specific
- Travel Requirements – From no travel telecommute jobs to those that require telecommuters to work out of a home-based office and then hit the road more than 80% of the time, this is where we designate a remote job opening’s travel demands
Utilizing our system of telecommute job classification, in addition to our own research and telecommute job tracking, we compiled data into the infographic below concerning 2015 telecommuting trends and insights that forecast an even bigger year for telecommuting in 2016.
Key Telecommuting Statistical Findings
The past year brought with it so many crucial details about telecommute hiring trends that we could not possibly contain all of our key telecommuting statistical findings in one infograph.
Let’s break down the research.
Top 10 Careers with the Most Telecommuting Jobs
Telecommute job seekers continue to be surprised by the variety of available remote jobs. We encourage them to be ever-mindful that telecommute roles are not unique unto themselves. As you’ll see in the chart below, the industries that provided the most new opportunities for telecommute work during 2015 reflect traditional careers that are typically performed onsite.
Rather than searching for a telecommute job using generic, work-at-home buzzword categories like “typing” and “email processing,” we want telecommute job seekers to look for openings in trusted career fields like those highlighted here:
Top 10 States with the Most Telecommuting Jobs
If you’ve read our analysis of 7 States Where Telecommuting Is on the Rise you’ll know that there hasn’t been a better time in history to find remote work. We’re pleased to offer further understanding into the locations within the U.S. where telecommute job seekers are most likely to find available telework opportunities.
For the second year in a row, California, Texas, New York, and Florida remained the top states for available telecommute work. However, there were a few changes to this top 10 list when compared to our 2014 results. Pennsylvania edged ahead of Illinois to take fifth place; meanwhile, Massachusetts became the new number nine state for available telecommute jobs, removing Ohio from the list altogether.
Telecommuter Data
During December 2015 Virtual Vocations’ registered job seekers were emailed a survey to complete on a voluntary basis; the survey was not open to the general public. Through the survey responses we received, Virtual Vocations gained valuable knowledge into the professional lifestyles and job search needs of current and potential telecommuters. Here’s what we discovered from our 1,666 respondents:
Telecommuter Demographics
Our 2015 survey has painted a profile of the remote worker that overviews telecommuter age, level of education, telecommuting experience, and more. Below we have highlighted key findings from these telecommuter demographics and provided graphs to illustrate the complete results of this portion of the survey:
- More than three-quarters of respondents are age 40 or older
- At least 95% have received post-secondary education
- Over half of respondents care for children or a family member in their home on a regular basis
Telecommuting Professional Insights
Myths about telecommuting abound. Far too many job seekers believe that it is impossible to work remotely and earn a living wage. We are pleased that the results of our survey can shed a truthful light on those negative assumptions about what it means to work from home:
- The majority of survey respondents telecommute 100% of the time
- At least 90% have a year or more of telecommuting experience
- More than 30% of respondents earned over $71,000 a year in their telecommute job
- Roughly half of telecommuters work as employees, while a slight majority function as Independent Contractors
Lifestyle Benefits
In addition to finding professional success as telecommuters, the respondents of our telecommuting survey revealed that their quality of life and financial standing have been changed for the better as a result of working remotely.
All About Job Seekers
The final leg of our telecommuting survey was geared toward job seekers actively looking for telecommuting employment at the time of the survey. From this data we learned that job seekers are hungry for legitimate remote work opportunities like those found in our Telecommute Jobs Database, and that they view telecommuting as a means to take back ownership over their lives and work schedules. Here’s more of what we discovered:
- More than 70% of survey respondents list job flexibility as their main motivation for wanting to telecommute
- Over half want a telecommute job that allows them to work from home 100% of the time
- At least 90% of respondents have applied to up to seven telecommute jobs in the last month
The full results of this portion of our survey can be viewed in the graphs below.
The past year has been our most successful to date, but you can join us in making 2016 the most productive year ever for telecommute job seekers. Register for a Virtual Vocations account today and take advantage of the numerous telecommute job search benefits we offer. Interested in learning more? Get the scoop on Why You Want a Virtual Vocations Account and connect with our community via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. We’d love to hear from you!
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