遠距工作的需求在近年突然遽增，根據網路趨勢資料庫 Exploding Topics，過去 10 年來，「在任何地方工作」的搜尋次數更是成長了 10 倍。當疫情催化了遠距工作趨勢，人們空前地擁抱在任何地方工作所提供的自由與彈性。
儘管如此，遠距工作供不應求。2022 年底，在世界最大的專業社群媒體平台 LinkedIn 上，超過 50% 的求職者都想找遠距工作，但平台上只有 15% 的遠距職缺。也就是說，雖然很多專業人士想找遠距工作，市場上卻少有機會滿足他們的需求和偏好。
遠距工作有哪些型態？為何如此搶手？
為何遠距工作有如此高的需求？遠距工作對專業人士而言有許多優點，特別是彈性。在 Buffer 的年度《遠距工作狀態》報告中，遠距工作者依序舉出此類工作型態的最大優勢：運用時間的彈性、選擇工作地點的彈性、節省通勤時間，還有任選居住地的能力。
值得注意的是，遠距工作包含不同定義。在傳統辦公場景外的地方工作即被視為「遠距」，包括在家工作和數位遊牧，後者指邊工作、邊旅行，而非待在固定地點。全遠距公司可能常駐在單一地區，或者全球均有據點，並招募在不同地點的人們。散佈全球的遠距公司包括艾特萊森軟體（Atlassian）、GitHub 和 MURAL。如果你正在找居住地外的全球工作機會，且不想搬家，這類公司會是個好選擇。
另一方面，半遠距或混合型工作指的是遠距和進辦公室工作的混合體。員工可能一週進辦公室幾天，剩下的時間遠距工作。混合型工作者通常住在辦公室附近，有鑒於他們必須定期進到實體辦公室，這也意味著此類工作僅限於住在同一城市或地區的人。
從事遠距工作有可能賺到國際級薪水嗎？簡短的回答是「有時候可以」，這取決於個別的公司政策，以及你的技能在全球市場上有多搶手。例如 Basecamp 付給每個員工相同的薪水，無論員工人在哪裡；Buffer 根據員工所在的地理位置和當地物價調整薪資；Github 則自有一套結合經驗和地點的薪資計算方法。
找遠距工作，你該優先考慮的產業與企業
如果你還在思考要上哪裡找好的遠距工作機會，科技公司是很好的起點。適合遠距工作的最佳產業包括企業級的科技服務、資訊科技、科技服務和消費性科技。特別是軟體即服務（SaaS）的公司更可能提供遠距工作選項，因為它們以雲端為據點，遠距工作者可以透過網路瀏覽器和 VPNs「進公司」，毋需實體辦公室。比如 Stripe、Shopify、Digital Ocean 和 Slack 便有很多遠距職缺，而它們只是 SaaS 公司中的部分例子而已。
目前全球經濟前景不明，我們看到不少科技業裁員的消息。大型科技公司如 Google、Meta、微軟（Microsoft）和亞馬遜（Amazon）各自裁了超過一萬人。根據 Layoffs.fyi 的動態圖表顯示，2023 年截至目前為止，共有 380 家科技公司裁掉超過 10 萬名員工。儘管這些數據對遠距工作求職者而言可能是個警訊，但我們務必了解的是：裁員絕大部分反映的是成長趨緩、利率提升和對於經濟衰退的恐懼，而非科技產業的總體健康狀態。此外，許多科技公司如 Uber、Airbnb 和 Slack 都已永久轉型為全遠端或是混合型的工作模式，提供在家工作的選項。隨著後疫情世界持續適應新的工作方式，我們可以預期在未來幾年，不同規模的科技企業都會增加遠距職位。
另一個考量遠距工作的因素是公司本身的地點。根據《Business Insider》，據點設在美國、英國和加拿大的公司，提供最多不以辦公室為據點的職缺。然而，每間公司都可能有各自的區域限制，換句話說，僅雇用住在特定地區的人。
如果你能從事遠距工作，你的職位也是個必須斟酌的重要因素。最可能有遠距選項的工作包括工程（例如網站開發者）、行銷（例如文案寫作者、設計師）、一般商業職缺（例如商業開發、專案經理）和人資（例如招募者）。如果你有意願，或者你還處在職涯初期，現在改變還不算太晚的話，轉換到上述類型的職缺之一將有助於你在尋找遠距機會時更容易。
接著你還得考量公司的規模和成熟度。一般來說，小型、年輕的公司，特別是規模在 11-200 人之間的，通常較易提供遠距工作。新創公司是找遠距工作的好地方，因為它們往往較樂意採用新的工作方法，且較少招募方面的繁文縟節。在新創的世界裡，你可以聚焦快速成長的產業，包括金融科技、健康科技、網路安全、工作場所科技、人工智慧和機器學習、雲端運算以及虛擬實境。加入這些高速成長的產業，未來你也會有更多遠距工作的機會。
雖然遠距工作的熱度在全球持續竄升，但找到工作機會仍是個挑戰。科技公司、科技即服務公司、年輕新創和以美國、英國及加拿大為據點的公司都是你找遠距工作的好選擇。然而，每間企業都可能有其招募限制，所以請務必仔細確認過每個職缺的工作說明，在送出申請前確保自己符合資格。我期待當更多企業發現遠距工作的好處，特別是能節省成本和招募到頂尖人才後，未來將有更多遠距工作的機會。
備註：本文經作者授權換日線編輯部翻譯、編輯，欲閱讀英文原文請參考下文。原文標題為：Working from Anywhere: How to Find the Best Remote Job Opportunities。
The demand for remote work has skyrocketed in recent years, with a 10x growth in the number of searches for “work from anywhere” opportunities in the last decade, according to data from Exploding Topics. While COVID helped accelerate this remote work trend, people are embracing the freedom and flexibility that working from anywhere offers now more than ever.
Despite the high demand for remote work, job opportunities are lagging behind. On the world’s largest professional social media platform LinkedIn, 50% of job applications submitted on the site were for remote positions as of the end of 2022, according to Axios. However, only 15% of LinkedIn’s job postings were for remote jobs. While more professionals are seeking remote work, there are fewer opportunities in the market that meet their needs and preferences.
Why is there a such high demand for remote work? Remote work offers many benefits for working professionals, especially flexibility. In Buffer’s annual State of Remote Work, remote workers cited the biggest benefits of working remotely in order: flexibility in how they spend their time, flexibility in choosing their work location, more time without a commute, and the ability to live wherever they choose as.
It's also important to note the different definitions of remote work. Work done outside of a traditional office setting is considered remote, including working from home and digital nomads (working while traveling rather than from one location). Fully remote companies may be limited to one region or may be globally distributed, with jobs available to people in different locations. Examples of globally distributed remote companies include Atlassian, GitHub, and MURAL (Remotive). If you are looking for global job opportunities outside of where you live (but don't want to relocate), globally distributed remote companies are a great choice.
On the other hand, partially remote or hybrid work is a mix of remote and in-office work. Employees may go into the office a few days a week and work remotely the rest of the time. Hybrid workers typically live in close proximity to the office, meaning these types of jobs are limited to people from within the same city or region as they will need to access a physical office regularly.
Can you earn a top global salary if you work remotely? The short answer is yes, sometimes. It depends on individual company policies and how in-demand and marketable your skills are in the global marketplace. For example, Basecamp pays global salaries or the same salaries to everyone, everywhere. Buffer adjusts salary based on the worker’s geographic location and cost of living. And GitLab has its own salary calculation method based on experience and location combined.
If you’re wondering where to find great remote work opportunities, tech companies are a great place to start. Top industries for remote work include enterprise technology, information technology, technical services, and consumer technology. In particular, companies that are Software as a Service (SaaS) are more likely to offer remote work options because they are cloud-based, allowing remote workers to access them via web browsers and VPNs (without the need for an office). Stripe, Shopify, Digital Ocean, and Slack are just a few examples of SaaS companies with many open remote roles.
As today’s global economic outlook remains uncertain, we have seen recent layoffs in tech. Large tech companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon have each laid off over 10,000 employees. And according to Layoffs.fyi, 380 tech companies have laid off over 100,000 employees so far in 2023. While these numbers may be alarming for remote job seekers, it’s important to understand the layoffs are largely a response to slowing growth, higher interest rates, and fears of a possible recession, rather than a reflection of the overall health of the tech industry. In addition, many tech companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Slack have permanently shifted to either hybrid or fully remote operations, offering work-from-home options. As the post-pandemic world continues to adjust to new ways of working, we can expect to see an increase in remote positions for both small and large tech companies in the coming years.
Another factor to consider when looking for remote work is the location of the company itself. According to Business Insider, companies based in the US, UK, and Canada offer the most non-office-based roles. However, each individual company may have its own restrictions in terms of the regions they are willing to hire from.
Your role is also an important factor to consider if you can work remotely. Jobs that are most likely to have remote options include engineering (ex: web developer), marketing (ex: copywriters, designers), general business roles (ex: business development, project managers), and HR (ex: recruiters). If you’re willing to, or early enough in your career to make a big change, switching to one of these types of roles will give you a leg up when finding remote opportunities.
The size and maturity of companies are other factors to consider when looking for remote work. Small, young companies often offer remote job opportunities, especially those with 11-200 employees (Coresignal). Startups are a great place to look for remote jobs as they tend to be more willing to adopt new methods of working and tend to have less rigid hiring requirements. Within the world of startups, you may also want to consider companies in these fast-growing industries including FinTech, healthcare tech, cybersecurity, workplace tech, AI & machine learning, cloud computing, and VR (Michael Page). By joining one of these high-growth industries, you’ll be well-positioned for strong remote work opportunities in the future.
While remote work continues to grow in popularity worldwide, finding job opportunities remains a challenge. Tech companies, SaaS companies, young startups, and companies located in the US, UK, and Canada are good places to look for remote jobs. However, each company may have its own hiring restrictions so be sure to check each job description carefully to make sure you are eligible before applying. As more businesses realize the benefit of remote work, especially in terms of cost savings and recruiting top talent, I expect to see more remote job opportunities available in the future.
執行編輯：曾聖軒
核稿編輯：林欣蘋
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