Bosses haul staff back to the office as remote working boom peaks – The Telegraph

Britain’s work from home boom has passed its peak, according to new data that reveals bosses are ditching remote job adverts and hauling employees back into the office.

The jobs site LinkedIn said that remote adverts declined for a fifth straight month in September as power shifts back to employers, mirroring trends in Europe and the US.

Fewer than 12pc of adverts were for fully remote working in September as hiring begins to cool, compared to a peak of 16pc in January. This is the lowest level since data collection began in September 2021, just after the UK emerged from Covid restrictions.

Josh Graff, managing director for Europe at LinkedIn, said: “The balance of power is starting to shift back to employers as economic storm clouds gather and hiring slows

“We’re already seeing companies freeze hiring and request that employees return to the office.”

Shortages-stricken businesses have been battling to attract workers but there are signs that the extremely tight labour market is coming off the boil. Employment and vacancies in the UK have slipped back in recent months amid predictions of recession and rising unemployment.

A separate closely watched S&P Global manufacturing purchasing managers’ index survey showed that factory bosses cut jobs for the first time in two years last month, while overall activity is shrinking at its fastest pace since mid-2020.

The LinkedIn study found that three-quarters of executives intend to rein in flexible working because of the worsening economic backdrop.

Bosses are cracking down despite strong demand for home working from employees. Remote jobs make up 12pc of ads in the UK but attract 20pc of applications, it said.

The decline in remote working adverts in the UK matches falls in France, Germany, India and the US, according to LinkedIn.

However, Britain still has the second-highest share of homeworking job ads of the five countries tracked, after the US.

Employees have embraced the flexibility offered by the homeworking revolution but the shift has had a lukewarm reception from bosses, economists and ministers. Sir James Dyson and former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane have been among those in the business world to raise concerns over the shift.

There are fears that homeworking can damage productivity and stunt the development of workers, particularly younger employees. Ministers have also warned of the economic damage done to city centres by people working from home.

A weaker jobs market could shift power back to employers and allow bosses to rein in flexible working patterns. Unemployment is close to a 50-year low, at 3.5pc, but vacancies have fallen back from record highs and employment levels have also slipped.

A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggested that more than half of bosses believe employees should be monitored as part of efforts to improve productivity.

However, experts warned businesses against abandoning flexible working altogether.

Mr Graff said: “The global pandemic caused the greatest workplace upheaval in a generation, with unprecedented movement in the labour market and a significant change in our working patterns.

“Flexibility will increasingly become a survival issue for many businesses. Companies that pull back on flexible working and learning and development risk demotivating their workforce and pushing people to competitors that offer more attractive options.”

Anthony Klotz, a professor at UCL School of Management, said: “Leaders are caught between the allure of returning to old ways of working, and the challenge of looking toward the future and rethinking how they lead and how their employees work.”

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