One of the biggest benefits that anyone looks for in a job is flexibility. Whether that is the ability to work from home all the time or on a whim or just in what hours you want to work during the day (or maybe night), people want freedom. “Typically ‘flexible’ means a schedule that allows you to work when and how you want,” Katie Bardaro, Payscale’s lead economist, told Forbes. “The most flexible option in today’s workforce is the ability to telecommute, or work from home. This allows workers to eradicate the commute aspect of their workday and to work at the hours and location most convenient to them.
We have talked about the benefits of working in tech, especially for women, and a big one of those reasons is flexibility. “Schedule flexibility is important to employees as they are comforted by the knowledge that they can easily change their schedule and time-off,” Bardaro says. “This knowledge will incent workers to be productive as they know they have some level of control in their schedule. This is especially key for families who might need to take time off to align with school breaks or stay home with a sick child.”
FlexJobs recently reported the 10 most in-demand flexible jobs and clearly positions in tech made the cut. Java Developer came in at number 5 and Project Manager came it at 7.
The most popular job search terms were compiled with data from job seeker keyword queries run between January 1 and December 31, 2013 on FlexJobs.com. FlexJobs’ Chief Technology Officer, Peter Handsman, analyzed data from keyword searches to determine the types of jobs most in-demand by job seekers looking for flexible and telecommuting positions.
Sara Sutton Fell, founder and CEO of FlexJobs said in a statement on the study, “With advances in technology and the way we communicate, it is becoming much easier for all different types of industries to offer flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting options. The days when people worked exclusively from their desk in an office setting are already a thing of the past, as most professionals check email, make calls and access documents from mobile devices or personal computers.”
The availability of flexible work options is on the rise, according to new data from FlexJobs. Over the past year, job listings for professional telecommuting, part-time, freelance and flexible schedule jobs increased by 25 percent, giving job seekers more opportunity to find a more flexible job.
These jobs not only pay well, but also allow you to have real life work-life balance and run your career on your own terms.
