Demand for Remote Work Soars in UK as Opportunities Decline

The UK labour market is at a turning point in 2025. Employers appear to be pulling away from remote and flexible jobs, even though more people are looking for them than ever. This growing disconnect changes the job market, influences workplace policies, and signals broader changes to how and where Britons want work.

These results are based on internal data collected by Jooble , one of the top 10 job-search websites in the world. According to SimilarWeb, is ranked as the UK’s 5th most popular job platform.

UK Remote Work Demand Continues to Grow Despite Supply Decline

In 2025’s first half, UK jobseekers searched for remote positions at a rate that was 200% higher than it was in late 2024 and 140% more than the same period of 2023. This is the highest growth in recent years.

The interest peaked in January, when it reached its highest level of monthly activity for over two years. The average number of remote jobs postings dropped sharply, down by more than 41% from early 2024 and 51% from the first half 2023.

Remote work in the UK is not evenly distributed

While remote work may transcend geography in theory, in practice location still determines access and opportunities.

Jooble’s regional data for 2025’s first half shows a stark mismatch between supply and demand. Some cities have high local job search activity but low availability of jobs, while others show strong demand and few opportunities.

Bolton is an exception. It offers one of the most remote roles of all smaller cities but generates relatively low interest in local searches.

London is the UK’s remote-work capital. It leads the country in both search interest and listings. Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds are also showing strong demand, though search volume often exceeds the number of job listings.

The geographic imbalances, both in terms of oversupply and lack thereof, point to a fragmented ecosystem for remote work, where skills and infrastructure vary greatly by location.

Technology and management roles drive the remote market

According to Jooble, IT will continue to dominate the remote jobs market in 2025. Around one-third of remote positions will be posted.

Commercial functions, including sales and marketing, also play a significant role, and legal roles are becoming increasingly digitalised.

These concentrations show that professionals with strategic, analytical and digital roles are more likely to be able to work remotely, while those who have hands-on jobs or frontline positions face greater limitations.

Employers are catching on to hybrid work as interest grows

Although remote work is still the most popular option for jobseekers, hybrid roles have been gaining popularity among UK workers and employers.

Data from Jooble shows that hybrid roles searches increased sharply at the beginning of 2025, up 160% in comparison to late 2024. While interest in hybrid roles cooled in the second quarter it was still higher than average for the year.

Employer-side, hybrid job postings grew by 70% between January and the end of April. Even though numbers dropped slightly in June and May, they were still well above baseline levels of early 2024.

Alisa Lagovska is the Recruitment Team Leader for Jooble. She shared her thoughts on this hybrid model: “It is not a compromise, but a strategic solution to balance employee autonomy and business effectiveness. It strengthens the company culture, increases team cohesion and accelerates decision making. This is achieved not by rigid control but rather through trust and structure. This is why many organisations adopt a two-to three-day work pattern, particularly in teams that require cross-functional cooperation and joint decision making.

This is a reflection of a changing employer strategy, balancing flexibility from a distance with engagement in the office. Hybrid models may not have captured the attention of mass job seekers, but they can serve as a bridge to help organisations meet workforce expectations.

Flexible hours jobs struggle to sustain growth

The UK’s job market continues to grow in a niche that is small but active. Flexible-hours jobs are part-time and flexible, with adjustable schedules. They also include outcome-based roles. Although not as popular as remote or hybrid work, this format has seen a spike in interest by both employers and jobseekers.

Jooble data shows that flexible-hours jobs saw an increase in interest from job seekers at the beginning of 2025. Search volume increased by 55% over the previous quarter. This spike could be a result of a number of factors, including a shift in mindset after the holidays, when workers evaluate their work-life balance, cost-of-living concerns that prompt people to look for secondary or adaptable sources, and public discourse about flexible work legislation which became visible late 2024.

By Q2 2025 the search volume had declined, returning to levels similar to those of Q4. The cooling trend indicates that, while flexibility is still desired, it fluctuates with seasonal routines or household economics.

Employer-side data reflect this volatility even more clearly. The number of job postings reached a dramatic peak at the beginning of the year and then fell sharply over the next few months. In April, there was a brief rise in volume, but by the end of June, it had dropped back to levels well below those seen in January.

This swing indicates that flexible roles are project-based or seasonal. They may also be highly sector-specific. These types of roles are common in industries such as education, retail and customer service where employers adjust their workforces based on campaign cycles or school terms rather than long-term strategies.

What it means for 2025 and beyond

Data shows that the UK workforce is increasingly focused on autonomy, flexibility in location, and work-life balance. The market has not yet been structured to accommodate these preferences.

• 
  Job seekers face increasing competition and limited opportunities in remote areas.
  
• 
  Employers may lose out on the best talent if they do not adapt to flexible models.
  
• 
  Without greater investment in remote infrastructure or upgrading skills, regions outside of major cities could continue to suffer from an accessibility gap.
  

Will Employers Be Able to Keep Up With Job Seekers?

The UK employment landscape is changing, but at a different pace for each person. Remote work is not a trend that is being driven by a pandemic anymore – it’s a standard expectation. Demand is outstripping supply, and hybrid formats are gaining momentum. 2025 may mark a turning point in how flexible working is prioritized in the UK.

The next generation of talent will be determined by whether businesses embrace the shift fully or fall behind.

The article Remote work demand soars in UK as opportunities decline originally appeared on HR News.