More businesses are shifting away from hybrid and remote working, urging employees back into the office. But the demand for remote roles remains extremely strong in the UK, with 526K monthly searches for remote jobs in Ahrefs.
In its most recent survey, coworking office space platform, Spacepool, found that there’s just a 16% chance, on average, of landing a remote job in the UK.
On the topic, they analysed Ahrefs’ monthly keyword cluster search data for “remote jobs” across the UK and compared the findings from 37 towns and cities with the total number of remote job listings on Indeed in each location.
UK cities with the worst chances of landing remote jobs
Birmingham’s 2,100 remote job seekers face just a 4% chance of landing a role
| Town/City | Searches per month | Number of remote jobs available | % chance of landing a role |
| Bradford | 320 | 5 | 2% |
| Birmingham | 2,100 | 75 | 4% |
| Coventry | 320 | 12 | 4% |
| Croydon | 150 | 7 | 5% |
| Leicester | 490 | 25 | 5% |
| Leeds | 480 | 25 | 5% |
| Liverpool | 470 | 25 | 5% |
| Luton | 150 | 8 | 5% |
| Edinburgh | 400 | 25 | 6% |
| Manchester | 1,400 | 100 | 7% |
| Glasgow | 690 | 50 | 7% |
Data accurate as of the 19th August 2024
Bradford emerges from this study with the most challenging odds for remote job seekers. Despite a substantial 320 searches per month, the city suffers from a severe shortage of available roles, with only 5 live job listings. This imbalance between the high demand and extremely limited opportunities leaves those seeking a remote position with just a 2% chance of securing one.
The UK’s second-largest city, Birmingham, faces just as much of a daunting challenge for remote job seekers. Despite a staggering 2,100 searches for remote positions every month, the city currently only has 75 live opportunities. This extreme imbalance between demand and availability results in a shockingly low success rate of just 4%.
Similarly, Coventry also has a 4% chance of landing a role, with 320 monthly searches and only 12 positions available. Highlighting that even the smaller cities in the West Midlands are not spared from this intense competition and limited remote opportunities.
Remote job seekers in Croydon, Leicester, Leeds, Liverpool and Luton all face challenges, despite a steady flow of searches, these cities are all plagued with just a 5% chance of landing a role, due to limited opportunities and low success rates. Croydon has a lower search rate of 150, but with just 7 available roles, there’s a severe lack of opportunity. Leicester, Leeds and Liverpool each currently offer 25 roles amidst their 480 to 490 monthly searches. This troubling pattern across these cities proves there to be a mismatch between demand and available remote work.
Manchester, despite offering the highest number of job roles in our bottom 10, faces it’s own challenge. There’s a hefty 1,400 monthly search volume from remote job seekers and only 100 available positions. While there’s an improvement from some of the cities mentioned above, the success rate remains a relatively low 7%.
UK cities with the best chances of landing remote jobs
Belfast’s remote job seekers have 125% chance of landing role, while demand exceeds live listings in many areas
| Town/City | Searches per month | Number of remote jobs available | % chance of landing a role |
| Belfast | 20 | 25 | 125% |
| Nottingham | 60 | 25 | 42% |
| Newport | 50 | 17 | 34% |
| Oxford | 90 | 25 | 28% |
| Cambridge | 100 | 25 | 25% |
| Southampton | 100 | 22 | 22% |
| Kent | 230 | 50 | 22% |
| Aberdeen | 100 | 21 | 21% |
| High Wycombe | 50 | 10 | 20% |
| Swansea | 100 | 17 | 17% |
| Brighton | 100 | 17 | 17% |
| Peterborough | 150 | 25 | 17% |
| Reading | 150 | 25 | 17% |
Data accurate as of the 19th August 2024
Belfast is the clear stand out city for remote job seekers in the UK. With 20 monthly searches for work-from-home roles and 25 live vacancies, the city offers a 125% chance of securing a position. Although the demand in this Northern Irish city may not be as high as other areas of the UK, Belfast’s availability of roles outweighs the search volume, making it a top opportunity for flexible work.
Nottingham also shines as a great city for remote work, with a strong balance between job role demand and live availability. With 60 monthly searches for roles and 25 live job listings currently, the city famous for Robin Hood, provides job seekers with a 42% chance of landing a remote role.
With 50 monthly searches for roles and 17 active listings, Newport also has top-notch balance between remote work demand and availability. This environment provides remote job seekers with an impressive 1 in 3 chance of landing a role, making the Welsh city standout as a strong choice for those pursuing flexible work opportunities.
Remote job seekers have a 1 in 5 chance of landing a role in Kent, with 230 monthly searches competing for just 50 available positions. Despite the tough odds, Kent remains the most popular location among our cities that offer lower chances of securing remote work.
Eugene Tavyev, CEO and Founder at Spacepool gives his thoughts “Businesses are currently facing tough decisions with remote and hybrid working arrangements. Those who opt to discontinue this flexibility might notice an impact on their ability to attract and retain top talent. For example, in Birmingham, there are 2,100 monthly searches for remote roles and only 75 live job listings, indicating a strong demand for remote roles still, but limited availability. However, requesting employees return to the office can also be a cost-saving approach. The goal is for businesses to carefully evaluate these options and find a balance that supports both their financial goals and employee satisfaction”
