In 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak wreaked havoc on the global labour market. Working from home used to be a privilege reserved for select companies, but it has now become the norm for many. By 2025, it is projected that 70 percent of the workforce will work remotely at least five days every month. While 2020 may have been seen as the year of remote work, we believe it is only the beginning since the trend is expected to continue in 2022.

This article aims to give you insight into how work has changed, how non-remote workers are being impacted, what opportunities remote work brings job searchers, and how the world of work has changed drastically.

How the Workplace Could Change Forever

We all know that work will never be the same again, even if we don't realize the extent to how different it will be. The abrupt change to distributed labour has created a once-in-a-generation chance to reinvent everything about how we conduct our jobs and manage our businesses.

The rise in remote working has been welcomed by many, while others have found this new working style a hindrance. This new job market is compact meaning it is now essential to upgrade your skill set by obtaining an online degree or legit certification to stand out.

The Change Remote Work Brings

If we can break free from decades of orthodoxy about the 9-to-5 office-centric work, we can keep the finer aspects of office culture while eliminating harmful habits and wasteful processes, such as ineffective meetings and excessive bureaucracy. Every leader believes they can do better and can move things forward more quickly. The chance to do so is now.

From the employees’ standpoint, the transformation remote work brings is significant and far-reaching: individuals make new decisions about where they want to live and set new standards for flexibility, working conditions, and work-life balance.

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What Happens to the Workers Who Are Left Behind Without Remote Jobs?

For individuals who can work from home, their daily work experience will change dramatically. On average, most people will gain an hour in their day, and predictions suggest that after the pandemic, anywhere from three to five days each week will be spent working from home.

A hybrid office model is expected to evolve, balancing the benefits of distant work with social contacts, as well as the creativity and innovation created by working with others in person.

However, the greatest challenge we face in terms of work is determining what will happen to the remaining one percent of workers who cannot work from home. These low-wage occupations like retail, food service, and hospitality, are disappearing or are on the verge of disappearing.

We need to strengthen the social safety net and invest in methods to improve our most disadvantaged workers' skills and provide access to education and training - ultimately, giving everyone the opportunity to grow equally.

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The Effects of Remote Work on Job Searches

One of the most exciting things we'll see with the rise of remote employment is democratization of opportunity and migration of skills worldwide. Companies have an increased talent pool to choose from, especially from underrepresented groups in their area or for locally scarce skills.  

Outsourcing services related to software, web, or app development have become increasingly popular. Remote work allows organizations to hire individuals from different areas of the world at lower rates, ultimately increasing the demand of developers and the importance of joining coding bootcamps.

This doesn’t just apply to IT-related services. Organizations have begun to outsource HR management, finance management, and much more. This gives us an idea of how job searchers have a bigger pool and can find an organization that offers them the job enrichment and satisfaction they desire.

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Conclusion: Is Remote Work All That Great?

The truth is that remote work has both a positive and negative impact on the job market. However, you can use the right career resources to gain an advantage and make the most out of the work-from-home era we are in.

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Career Karma

Author: Ibrahim Imran, from Karachi, Pakistan, started working with Career Karma in July 2020. He is currently enrolled at Iqra University as a BBA student. He has contributed content to some of the best software and IT companies in Pakistan.

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