Searches for remote work surge in India as social distancing takes hold

Job seekers across the country are showing greater interest in working remotely amid the COVID-19 crisis, showed a data by job site Indeed.

There has been an increase in search for terms like eremote', ework from home' and related phrases. Searches for remote work have also increased by over 261 per cent as a share of all searches on Indeed India since February 2020, however, the number of available job postings for remote work opportunities has remained relatively unchanged during the same time period.

Overall, job searches have increased by 278 per cent as a share of all searches on Indeed India since September 2019.

Commenting on the trend, Pawel Adrjan, Economist at Indeed said: "Flexibility has always been a vital aspect of job opportunities to job seekers, especially millennials, who today make up over half of India's working population. In challenging times like these, being able to continue working remotely serves as an asset, not only to the job seeker's skill set but also in helping the organization maintain business continuity."

A previous study by Indeed India showed that 83 per cent of job seekers consider a remote work policy an important factor when searching for a job, so much so that 53 per cent of employees would consider taking a pay cut in order to have access to remote working options. 56 per cent of employees and 83 per cent of employers concur that offering flexibility in working can help boost productivity.