Fully remote positions are becoming harder to find so staying informed about the market’s key players and their requirements represents a strong advantage for a home-based job seeker.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced many organizations to implement remote working arrangements and this caused a shift in employees’ priorities and expectations. A recent survey by Buffer (a social media management software startup) revealed that 98% of respondents preferred remote or hybrid roles.
However, today, with the pandemic having ended and organizations no longer requiring so many home-based professionals, fully remote jobs are becoming harder to find. According to a 2024 report by LinkedIn, the number of remote job postings has dropped in many countries, including the U.S., the UK, Germany, and France. So, it is no surprise that the competition to land a home-based opening is now much more competitive.
With too many sharks in the swimming pool, being an informed job seeker is a strong advantage. Who is hiring? Who are they looking for? To answer these and other questions, we analyzed 270+ home-based positions available on the largest information platform in the aid sector – DevelopmentAid.org – between August 16 and September 14, 2024.
Insight #1: Most home-based jobs are offered by intergovernmental agencies
Intergovernmental agencies lead the remote job offering in the development sector, providing 49% of all home-based vacancies. Non-governmental organizations and consulting firms tied for second place, each representing 23% of all available remote jobs.
Table 1 – Number and percentage of home-based jobs available on DevelopmentAid.org per type of hiring organization. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira between August 16 and September 14, 2024. Note: Some organizations fall into more than one of the given categories.
Insight #2: Most home-based roles have an expected duration of 12+ months
Most home-based vacancies are for mid- to long-term roles. Despite many short-term assignments being available, securing a stable, remote career in the development sector is possible.
Table 2 – Number and percentage of home-based jobs available on DevelopmentAid.org per expected duration of the contract. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira between August 16 and September 14, 2024.
Insight #3: Most home-based positions are for mid-career professionals
Hearsay tells us that finding remote entry-level positions is as difficult as spotting a flying elephant. While not impossible, it is definitely hard to secure such a position. Only 15% of home-based listings set their required work experience at 1 year or less. For remote roles, development organizations tend to seek candidates with 2 to 5 years of experience.
Table 3 – Number and percentage of home-based jobs available on DevelopmentAid.org per level of required experience. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira between August 16 and September 14, 2024.
Insight #4: Project and operations management is the field with the most home-based opportunities
Currently, ‘Project & operations management’ is the field with the most demand for remote roles in the development sector. This field registered 65 open roles, representing 24% of all home-based opportunities available during the period in question.
‘Human rights & law’ ranked second, with 40 open positions while ‘Environment’ and ‘Marketing & communication’ completed the podium, tying with 37 job announcements each.
Table 4 – Number and percentage of home-based jobs available on DevelopmentAid.org per field. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira between August 16 and September 14, 2024. Note: job advertisements often fall into more than one of these fields/categories.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that remote jobs come with numerous benefits: no need to commute, improved work-life balance, and the freedom to choose where you live are just a few which is why such roles are so highly desired. Competition for these positions is increasing so knowing where to look for home-based opportunities and understanding what employers are looking for can give you a competitive edge and you can do so by becoming a Professional Member with DevelopmentAid.org.
DevelopmentAid is an information service provider for international development that currently hosts over 6,000 openings on its job board. Subscribing to DevelopmentAid grants full access to this job board and also enables you to activate relevant filters and email notifications.
