“Hushed hybrid” is the latest trend signaling a strong demand for job flexibility among today’s workforce. According to a recent FlexJobs® survey, the majority of people want some form of remote work, with 37% preferring a hybrid arrangement. Fortunately for professionals, hybrid career opportunities are on the rise in key areas. To help job seekers identify which fields are the most promising in 2024, FlexJobs has shared the five fastest-growing careers for hybrid jobs.
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A “hybrid job” is defined as any professional-level role that blends in-person and remote work, allowing employees to work at home part of the time. Analyzing more than 50 career categories in its database, FlexJobs compared the total number of hybrid job postings between March 1, 2024, and August 31, 2024, to find the emerging hybrid career categories with 10% or more growth.
5 Fastest-Growing Career Fields for Hybrid Jobs
Of the top five career categories, account management saw the highest growth rate (62%) in hybrid job listings over the past six months. Bilingual, HR and recruiting, and administrative followed, with each growing upwards of 30% in the total number of hybrid job postings. While bookkeeping scaled the most modestly of the five categories, it saw significant gains (10%) in hybrid jobs. Looking for flexible work options? Discover a range of remote jobs in Tucson that support hybrid work arrangements, ideal for professionals seeking both career growth and work-life balance.
The ranking excludes career categories that routinely lead the hybrid and flexible job marketplace, including computer and IT, accounting and finance, marketing, customer service, and project management.
“These expanding hybrid career fields are a testament to the companies and industries embracing flexible work options for their teams,” said Toni Frana, Lead Career Expert at FlexJobs. “With the work landscape undergoing significant transformations in recent years, FlexJobs’ latest data suggests that even amid slowed hiring patterns and a cooling labor market, the momentum for hybrid jobs and workplace flexibility is still in demand,” Frana added.
How to Effectively Evaluate a Hybrid Job
FlexJobs’ career experts advise that in addition to the top career fields, job seekers should understand that companies approach hybrid work policies differently. They recommend asking key questions to evaluate whether a hybrid position at a prospective employer aligns with personal and professional goals.
1. Is there a formal hybrid work policy? Hybrid policies may still be a work in progress for many companies. To determine how established a hybrid work policy is, make sure the following questions are clear before accepting the position:
- How many days a week can staff work at home?
- When coming into the office, do workers have to stay the whole day?
- When working from home, can staff work flexibly, or do they have to be online and available during certain hours?
2. How does the company communicate? How a company communicates with its staff can tell how seriously they support hybrid work, and a company that’s “all in” on hybrid work will gravitate toward virtual communication methods. Conversely, a company that’s less enthusiastic about hybrid work is more likely to insist workers come into the office for staff meetings or brainstorming sessions.
3. Who walks the walk? Companies that embrace and support hybrid work allow and encourage everyone––no matter the career level––to work in a hybrid arrangement. If only early or mid-level employees work hybrid schedules, it is possible that to move up the career ladder at the company, workers will have to be in the office.
4. What are the work hours? While a hybrid position may suggest flexibility, it is essential to clarify the work schedule expectations, especially for days spent remotely or outside of the office. Candidates must ensure that they understand what is required of staff in terms of working hours to avoid any misunderstandings or inconveniences.
5. What does success look like? It is common that despite the best intentions, in-office staff receive more praise and advancement compared to hybrid workers. Get the specifics on how an employee’s performance will be measured and evaluated or how the company defines success for the position. Depending on how well the company has implemented hybrid work, a hybrid worker’s performance should be evaluated no differently than their in-office counterparts.
