Raleigh and NC listed among top spots for remote work in U.S.

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RALEIGH — The global shift towards remote work seems to be a good thing for the Old North State.

North Carolina ranked No.8 for having the highest number of remote job listings in the last year and a half since January 1, 2019, according to job search site FlexJobs.

Asheville (8.3%), Charlotte (6.9%) and Raleigh (6.9%) have the highest populations of remote workers. Remote-friendly companies headquartered in North Carolina included IQVIA, PPD – Pharmaceutical Product Development and PRA Health Sciences.

In a separate survey conducted by HighSpeedInternet.net, Raleigh scored the No. 4 spot out of 45 best cities for remote workers — only behind Phoenix, Arizona; Atlanta, Georgia; and Kansas City, Missouri.

It bodes well for the region as the coronavirus pandemic has triggered a massive shift to work-from-home culture.

Today, 4.7 million Americans work remotely, according to FlexJobs.

Remote work opportunities are growing quickly. Between 2007 and 2017, there was a 159% increase in remote work. The majority of employees (74%) believe remote job opportunities will become the new normal.

In a recent Gallup survey, for example, nearly 60% said they were prefer to work from home. More than 60% of workers told Gallup they have worked at home at least part of the time during the pandemic, more than double the percentage reported in a March survey.

Benefits include improved productivity, saving on expenses related to commuting, and being able to dress more comfortably.

However, there’s also a flip side.

Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic is causing physical and emotional hardship among 71% of those employees, according to a new global study from Lenovo.

Among more than 20,000 people participating in the survey “Technology and the Evolving World of Work,” workers said work from home, or WFH, as required by social distancing and stay-at-home orders have led to new or worsening conditions including: back and neck pain; poor posture; headaches; difficulty sleeping and eye strain.

There’s also some higher costs with employees spending more than $270 Technology and the Evolving World of Work on average to acquire new or additional tech tools.

Original Article Source: WRAL TechWire