Remote Work Availability Varies Sharply by Industry

The data shows a clear hierarchy - and most industries barely register

Remote work didn’t decline evenly. It collapsed selectively.

When you break current job availability down by industry, the idea that “remote jobs are disappearing” turns out to be incomplete. What’s actually happening is more precise - remote work is heavily concentrated in a small set of industries and nearly absent everywhere else.

The gaps are wide. And they’re getting wider.

The Baseline Reality

Across all industries in the current JobsJudo dataset, on-site roles dominate. Hybrid roles are rare. Fully remote roles are the exception, not the norm.

In many industries, remote availability rounds to zero.

That matters, because most job seekers are still searching as if remote access is evenly distributed. It isn’t.

Industries Where Remote Work Still Exists (At Meaningful Levels)

Developer Tools - 33.0% Remote

The clear outlier.

Developer tools companies remain the most remote-friendly industry in the dataset, with roughly one-third of roles fully remote.

This reflects:

• Asynchronous workflows
• Highly specialized talent
• Global hiring norms
• Output-based performance evaluation

This is not representative of the broader market - it’s a niche with unique economics.

Cybersecurity - 25.7% Remote

Cybersecurity stands out as the only large industry with remote availability above 25%.

Why?

• Scarce, senior-heavy talent pools
• High tolerance for distributed teams
• Security expertise that does not require physical presence

Remote cybersecurity roles still exist at scale - but they are competitive and skew senior.

Fintech - 18.5% Remote

Fintech remains meaningfully remote-capable, but well below peak levels.

Remote roles persist primarily in:

• Engineering
• Platform infrastructure
• Risk and data functions

Regulation, compliance, and security requirements are steadily pulling non-technical roles back on-site.

Martech / Adtech - 16.3% Remote

Marketing technology remains one of the stronger remote performers among mid-sized industries.

However, remote availability is role-specific, not universal:

• Engineering and analytics → more remote
• Sales, partnerships, ops → increasingly on-site or hybrid

SaaS / B2B Software - 14.7% Remote

Despite expectations, SaaS is not overwhelmingly remote anymore.

Fewer than 1 in 6 roles are fully remote.

This reflects:

• Post-2021 office normalization
• Hybrid mandates
• Increasing emphasis on in-person collaboration for non-engineering teams

SaaS is still remote-friendly relative to the broader market - but far less than most candidates assume.

Industries Where Remote Work Is Marginal

These industries technically have remote roles - but at levels that barely register.

• Cloud / Infrastructure - 12.5%
• HR / PeopleTech - 11.6%
• Legal / LegalTech - 11.1%
• Education / EdTech - 9.4%
• Biotech / Life Sciences - 10.1%
• Consulting / Professional Services - 10.3%

In these sectors, remote roles tend to be:

• Senior
• Highly specialized
• Concentrated in narrow functions

They are not broadly accessible.

Industries Where Remote Work Is Effectively Absent

This is where expectations break.

In many large industries, remote work barely exists at all:

• Manufacturing - 0.1% remote
• Hospitality / Travel - 0.2%
• Retail - 0.9%
• Supply Chain / Logistics - 0.8%
• Construction - 3.9%
• Food & Beverage - 2.1%
• Energy & Utilities - 2.7%
• Insurance - 3.2%
• Healthcare - 4.4%

In these sectors, remote roles are statistical noise - often limited to:

• Corporate headquarters
• Niche analytics roles
• Executive or advisory positions

For the vast majority of jobs, physical presence is non-negotiable.

Why This Gap Keeps Growing

Remote work follows economic structure, not preference.

Industries with:

• Physical production
• Regulated environments
• Real-time coordination
• Customer-facing operations

…cannot scale remote work meaningfully.

Industries with:

• Digital outputs
• Scarce talent
• Global competition
• Asynchronous workflows

…can - and do.

This isn’t a temporary cycle. It’s a structural split.

The Job Seeker Mistake

Most frustration comes from searching for “remote jobs” without filtering by industry reality.

That leads to:

• Massive applicant pools
• Low response rates
• False signals about market health

Remote work is not evenly distributed. It never was.

The Takeaway

Remote work hasn’t vanished - it has concentrated.

If your target industry isn’t structurally remote-capable, effort alone won’t overcome that constraint.

The fastest way to improve outcomes isn’t applying harder. It’s aligning your search with where remote work actually exists.