Recent data indicates that 40% of Americans who are currently employed would only consider a new job if it was at least partially out of the office. Fifteen percent of these people further noted they would only consider remote work.  And 25% percent of them said, if they were to look for a new job in the coming months, they would consider something outside of where they are currently geographically located.   

There is some association with higher income households more likely to ponder a change in geography over accepting a lower wage.  Also, married people are more likely to have higher interest in hybrid work environments. 

In terms of staffing, this means that companies have a tremendous opportunity to not only retain the best talent by evolving into flexible working environments, but also, they can significantly expand their pool of talent well beyond the current ‘office geography.’ Particularly in IT practice areas, the potential to fill organizational skill gaps and gain competitive advantages is at an all-time high. 

To take advantage of this unique an unusual period in the world of work, it is imperative that companies first take the time to put the right processes in place to find, recruit, and onboard key talent that would otherwise be unavailable due to geographic restrictions. With the number of tech jobs having increased more than four percent this year, and not near enough workers available to fill the roles, organizations will need to get creative in their talent management efforts.