The number of people working from home has grown dramatically over the last couple of years – figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 2020 saw 37% of working adults did their jobs remotely, compared with 27% in 2019.

But what jobs are most likely to offer the staff the chance to work from home? And are there any regions that are more receptive to remote working than others? The number-crunchers here at Bionic decided to do a bit of digging.

What are the UK’s best work from home jobs and cities?

To work out which jobs and cities are the best for anyone wanting to work from home, we scoured several job sites – including Reed, Indeed and Totaljobs – to assess which industries are most open to remote working, and which cities offer the greatest number of jobs that cater for flexible working.

For comparison, we also looked at those industries less likely to offer remote working – such as retail and hospitality – along with the ones more open to flexible working hours, and those cities that are best for finding jobs in these areas.

IT and Tech is the best industry  for remote working

That’s according to a combination of data from the three different job sites, with 21% of jobs being fully or partly remote in this industry. Insurance and Media came second with 19% of jobs in these industries being fully or partly remote.

Here’s the full list:
1. IT and Tech: 21%
2. Insurance: 19%
3. Media: 19%
4. Marketing and PR: 18%
5. Human Resources: 13%
6. Finance: 12%
7. Legal: 11%
8. Accountancy: 10%
9. Recruitment: 10%
10. Entertainment: 9%

Best cities for flexible working

Perth is the best city in the UK to find jobs that are more open to flexible working. In fact, the top three best cities for flexible working were all Scottish:

1. Perth – 15%
2. Aberdeen – 13%
3. Dundee – 13%
4. Belfast – 11%
5. Manchester – 10%
6. Norwich – 10%
7. Salisbury – 10%
8. Winchester – 10%
9. Durham – 10%
10. Bristol – 10%

How to work from home

Remote working can be great for work/life balance, but get it wrong and your productivity could drop. It’s important to remember that working from home is about more than sitting on the sofa with your laptop. If you don’t structure your day and stay disciplined, you can easily find your working day has been decimated by online shopping, social media, daytime TV, and housework.

Les Roberts, Content Manager at Bionic provided some additional guidance on how workers can work more productively at home:

” With no commute to contend with, it can be all too tempting to get up and open your laptop about five minutes before you’re due to start work. But as appealing as spending the whole day in your joggers might seem, it can blur the boundaries between work and home life, which can be a disaster for productivity.

So, get out of bed and get ready as you normally would if you were commuting to work, and use the extra time to prepare for the day ahead by making meals and sorting your to-do list. This will mean you’re dressed, prepared and fully switched on for the workday ahead.

There are lots of distractions when working from home – aside from the usual pitfalls of online shopping, there’s daytime TV and a whole load of housework that needs doing. Adding some structure to your day can help eliminate certain distractions, so try to get into a routine of regular work and frequent breaks.
The Pomodoro Technique, for instance, means working solidly for 25 minutes then taking a break for five. Even if you have your head buried deep into a project, this short break every 25 minutes can really help to clear your mind, especially if you use it to get away from your screens by going outside, dipping into a newspaper or magazine, or getting one chapter of a book read.

One of the main benefits for remote workers is that they’re not restricted by the nine-to-five. And you can make sure this flexible routine has an even greater effect by figuring out when you’re most productive and making sure you’re working during these hours.
For some, this will mean waking up and working at the crack of dawn, for others it will be beavering away into the night. If you usually crash early in the afternoon, then put this time aside for a long break. If your job allows a real level of flexibility, make sure you use it to your advantage to better your work/life balance and improve productivity.”