🌏 US remote workers hired globally

Good Morning,

A lot of topical advice for job seekers was published last week, so I’ll include those links up front today:

• What hiring managers look for on your resume (CNBC)

• Resume trends and AI prompts to improve your resume (Forbes)

• Indeed’s best jobs of 2024, with % “flexible” listed (Indeed)

• Top 10 remote job posting categories — led by Accounting (Fortune)

• Recruiting expert’s advice for candidates (Bonnie Dilber on LinkedIn)

It’s clearly a difficult environment, and the media has been quick to highlight mass layoffs. But it’s important to remember that layoffs aren’t happening at nearly as high a rate as they were a year ago, and there are plenty of companies out there that are growing quickly and need new talent as soon as possible.

The low interest rate environment of 2020-2022 led to a huge spike in investment and a hiring arms race, and the market has been correcting for almost two years now. But comparing this month to January 2023, it seems the market is close to stabilizing — and optimistically, soon rebounding.

Remote Source Job Board

Featured companies:

Tomorrow Health: 6 remote jobs
MongoDB: 32 remote jobs
Bonterra: 15 remote jobs

🤝 Find Remote Jobs Here

Need to Know

👨🏻‍💼 White-collar job openings are shrinking
According to LinkedIn data, there are currently two applicants for every one job opening. This is completely reversed from just one year ago, when there were two open jobs for every one job seeker.

That said, 85% of workers would like to change jobs this year, versus 67% one year ago(!), so there could be more openings than expected if those candidates successfully leave their jobs for new ones. Plus, if interest rates drop, some experts expect a substantial uptick in hiring overall.

Unfortunately, with more applicants today, companies will continue “holding the line” when it comes to benefits — including location flexibility.

One LinkedIn VP who tracks job trends suggests that job seekers do two things: increase their networking cadence, and consider upskilling in technology that will have more demand in the near future. (Wall Street Journal)

🌏 More US workers are going remote with international companies
The number of US workers hired by international companies grew 62% last year, according to the HR platform Deel.

Worth pointing out that the Remote Source job board has plenty of employers with international exposure, and even a few thousand remote openings for people who live in countries outside the US.

Deel says research, sales, software engineering, content, and product are the most common roles that these companies are hiring US remote workers for. (CNBC)

🎙 The Hybrid Worker Malaise
New York Times podcast The Daily sits down with workplace writer Emma Goldberg to discuss the difficulties of hybrid work today’s organizations and employees are facing. She boils it down to three main issues:

• Hybrid has changed the way employees relate to one another. Work bonds are weaker, and organic run-ins and “loose ties” are occurring less frequently.

• In a hybrid environment, it’s more difficult to advance a career. Studies have shown that bosses provide less feedback to employees while they’re remote. And acting on feedback is often crucial to rising up within a company.

• No one knows how to properly schedule a hybrid workweek. Many companies are still trying to balance in-person time with employees’ strong desire for flexibility. But each person’s office preferences vary, so there’s never a one-size-fits-all solution.

All of these are valid, but I don’t interpret this as an argument for why the office is better. Company leadership should be asking themselves how they can address these pain points to best accommodate employees. Because even with flawed rollouts, people still prefer remote and hybrid work to full office attendance, and that isn’t going to change. (The Daily Podcast)

👶 Kyte Baby CEO fires NICU mom who requested WFH
The CEO of a baby clothing manufacturer Kyte Baby has been in damage control mode, since it was publicized that she fired an employee who was spending time in the NICU with her newborn daughter. The employee specifically requested to work remotely from the hospital, but the CEO, Ying Liu, inexplicably denied her the option.

Naturally, the internet was enraged. And Liu’s decision went viral, undoing the previously stellar reputation the company had built up over several years. Liu posted a canned apology on TikTok, and then after she was called out for being “scripted,” she posted an unscripted apology a few hours later.

And to answer the question you’re definitely asking yourself: Yes, Liu was granted placement in the Clown Show.

This quote is especially unbelievable, because in a 2021 blog post for International Women’s Day, Liu specifically cites her affinity for remote work, saying: “I have no problem with my employees being home and working while taking care of their kids.”

Unfortunately it’s just another example of hypocrisy and lack of empathy shown by leaders who, when given the opportunity to make their employees’ lives easier, completely fail to do so, burning bridges (and public opinion) along the way.

Some good news: the employee — who declined an offer to return to Kyte Baby — has raised almost $100,000 on GoFundMe to support her newborn’s healthcare costs. (CBS News)

🏦 Bank of America becomes more strict on RTO
Some industries and companies have been flexible about return to office requests. But it appears banks aren’t going to cave to their employees’ preferences anytime soon.

Bank of America has issued hilariously-named “letters of education” to employees who haven’t complied with the initial RTO mandates.

Separately, it’s recently been revealed that 2023 bonuses across Wall Street have been lackluster compared to previous years. So the impact of the drop in white-collar finance jobs appears to be especially impactful on how banks are treating their employees. Hiring managers and leadership have the upper hand, and they’re using that advantage to maximize their bottom lines. (Business Insider)

💁 Expect more office etiquette classes in 2024
One of the more surprising statistics I’ve seen lately: in a mid-2023 survey, over 60% of company leaders planned to give their employees access to office etiquette classes by this year.

Everyone’s a little rusty when it comes to office behavior, office conversations, and networking in general, so it makes sense this would be appealing for leaders who favor office time. And it’s likely to be especially helpful for younger employees who never had access to a “normal” workplace environment prior to the pandemic. (LA Times)

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