Remote work has been a factor in the US job market for quite some time. Even before COVID hit in 2020, growing numbers of people were embracing freelance work, independent contracts, etc.

After COVID, many businesses shut down in-person operations. This led to a surge of folks working from home, as opposed to in the office.

Even though many businesses have gone back to in-office work, there's still a certain appreciation for remote work amongst employees.

According to new reports, remote work is now playing a major role in whether or not people take jobs.

The latest on remote work in the United States

According to Employ Inc., 65% of working folks stated the ability to telework impacts whether or not they take a job offer or pass on it altogether.

In another interesting twist, 40% of workers even claimed they'd be willing to take jobs with lower salaries if they came with the trade-off of working remotely.

Between freelance job sites like Upwork and Fiverr, access to remote work and independent contract assignments is becoming increasingly easier. Today, Upwork is actually the top site in the world for freelancers.

Then, there are delivery and rideshare apps that people can use to earn income. Lyft, Uber, Instacart, and DoorDash are some examples. These are commonly used apps that let people easily work as independent contractors.

Understanding the advantages of working remotely

Many people have found that working from home lets them spend more time with their families; it even lets workers avoid unwanted expenses, like daily commutes.

During a time when inflation is running rampant and childcare is harder to come upon, this makes the rising popularity of remote work even more understandable.

With more people wanting to telework, as opposed to coming into the office, employers and recruiters are going to have to make note of this.

Moreover, with various work-focused apps available, such as Slack, Trello, etc., this makes remote work easy for not just employees, but also business owners and managers.

All things considered, it's safe to say that working from home is here to stay. In light of this, companies that offer remote work opportunities may fare better than their counterparts that insist on staffers coming into the office.