Main image of article Remote Work Dips for Popular Tech Roles

If you’re seeking a tech position that offers full-time remote work, your options might be shrinking. New data from CompTIA’s monthly Jobs Report shows that the number of remote positions for some of the most popular jobs in tech—including software developers and engineers, project managers, and IT support specialists—has declined significantly month-over-month.

The overall number of remote tech jobs also dipped in the country’s most established tech hubs, including New York City, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Chicago. Software developers led the declines, followed by IT project managers, data analysts, and those specialists in emerging tech. Even positions long touted as particularly friendly for remote work, such as web developers and cybersecurity analysts, tumbled month-over-month. Here’s a chart:

If you’re applying for jobs and curious about whether a particular company offers remote work, check out this new chart from Blind, which surveys (anonymous) tech professionals on a variety of issues. Tech giants such as Amazon, Apple and Meta are pushing hybrid work schedules, with employees expected in the office at least three days per week; meanwhile, some of the biggest names in industries such as spaceflight and vehicle manufacturing are expecting their employees back in the office full-time.

Based on CompTIA’s data, remote tech positions hit a high in summer 2022 before declining steadily over the past 15 months. That aligns with many offices opening back up after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2022, many senior executives have also become more concerned about tech pros’ productivity while working from home, leading many to demand employees’ return to the office.

Of course, executives frame in-office work as a chance for improved collaboration and mentorship. “Teams tend to be better connected to one another when they see each other in person more frequently,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a Feb. 17 memo to employees, soon after announcing revamped return-to-office plans. “There is something about being face-to-face with somebody, looking them in the eye, and seeing they’re fully immersed in whatever you’re discussing that bonds people together.”

If you’re interested in working from home for at least part of the week, keep in mind that many employers are open to discussing some type of remote work. During those negotiations, take pains to show how you working remotely will ultimately benefit the company—for example, by increasing your productive hours.