Is remote work in South Africa nearing its end?

Remote working jobs are becoming scarce

Remote work, or working from home, appears to be coming to an end globally, including in South Africa.

As per Business Tech, CareerJunction’s recent Employment Insights Report for the last three months of 2024, which showcases a detailed look into South Africa’s remote working trends, points to a steady decline in work-from-home opportunities in the country.

According to the report, remote or hybrid work was pretty non-existent in 2019, with just 0.2% of job vacancies offering the opportunity.

Then, along came the COVID-19 pandemic, which served as a catalyst for the flexible work trend around the globe.

“In 2019 remote / hybrid work was almost unheard of, with only 0.2% of vacancies being fully remote or partly remote job opportunities. Since then, there has been noticeable growth in remote working job roles, largely fuelled by the Covid-19 pandemic.” CareerJunction’s Employment Insights Report noted.

What the numbers show

With many assuming the trend would stick around and reshape the way the world works, reports now show that there has actually been a gradual decline in remote work since 2023.

In 2023, 4.3% of all job listings were labelled ‘remote’ or ‘hybrid’. This number subsequently dropped to 3.7% in 2024, indicating that this downward trend, which mirrors those observed in major international corporations, will likely continue.

Take a look at the full CareerJunction’s Employment Insights Report here.