They Say Remote Work Is Dead (But You Can Still Turn It to Your Advantage!)
Time to warm up the engine of your digital nomad dream
“Watch what everyone else does, and do the opposite. The majority is always wrong.”—Earl Nightingale.
The data is clear: remote work in the U.S. has been on the decline since its pandemic-era peak.
In October 2020, nearly 46% of employees were working remotely, 12% were hybrid, and just 39% were mostly onsite.
Fast forward to today, and only about 26% remain remote, while 55% have returned to the office grind.
If you’re dreaming of working remotely, your first reaction might be:
“Welp, I’m doomed. May as well tuck that dream into a drawer and pretend it never existed.”
Look, I get it. Not only are fewer companies hiring remotely, but the competition for those roles is fierce. One stat says it all: nearly 40% of remote job applications go to just 8% of listings.
So yes, it’s harder — but not impossible.
We can sit around and mourn the fantasy of logging into Slack from a Bali bungalow… or we can adapt.
If you’re serious about building a remote career — like I was back in 2021, before landing the job that allowed me to travel and work from anywhere for the next two years — this might actually be your best shot to get strategic and stand out.
Here are five things you can do right now to ensure you keep moving toward your remote work dream: