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As companies struggle to compete for the best job candidates, organizations that offer work from home options may be best equipped to bring in top talent.
About 83% of recruiters say they believe remote work has improved the quality of the applicants they attract, according to a new report from MyPerfectResume, a resume building platform, which polled more than 750 recruiters across the U.S.
“Organizations are really becoming savvy to what kind of employee really works,” Jasmine Escalera, a career expert for MyPerfectResume, tells Fortune. “That might not necessarily always be someone who is local. Now you get to choose from all over the world.” She adds “being able to have the remote worker pool opens you up to talent that doesn’t just exist in your particular area.”
To be sure, many recruiters are still sticking to their home turf for job candidates, even when the job doesn’t require it. Around 49% of headhunters say they have a “strong preference” for local applicants and 47% have “some preference” for the group, according to the report. But about 92% of recruiters say that recruiting for a remote role has increased their willingness to consider candidates from different areas, and 60% say they were somewhat more eager to do so.
Beyond changing the geographical radius of their search, the rise of remote work has also allowed recruiters to connect with underrepresented populations—namely women and ethnic minorities. These are groups that often have greater family responsibilities or financial constraints that prevent them from going into the office five days a week.
“There are specific demographics and people with specific caregiving components of their lives where things just become significantly easier when they have the flexibility of remote work,” says Escalera. “Women and caregivers were most impacted during the pandemic, people of color were also very impacted by the pandemic.”
Workers are certainly more likely to work from home now than they were before the pandemic, but the percentage has declined significantly since its 2020 heyday. As of last year, around 35% of U.S. workers did some or all of their jobs at home, according to an annual report published last month by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The latest recruiting survey shows that offering remote roles, aside from attracting stronger candidates, may also incentivize employees to stay put as the workforce as a whole grapples with trends like stress and burnout, according to Escalera.
“Having more well being, having more flexibility, it really speaks to organizations wanting to support the individual behind the work. Not just the work” she says.
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
A special digital issue of Fortune
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A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
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Watercooler
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Exposed. A Dutch data protection authority just fined Uber $324 million for allegedly transferring personal information about drivers to the U.S. without proper safeguards. Uber says it will appeal the fine. —Mike Corder, AP
Buckle down. The CEO of luxury footwear brand Kurt Geiger said in his first job as store manager for a London boutique, he had to fire the entire staff for stealing and start over again. —Orianna Rosa Royle
