Workforce changes that are being made in response to COVID-19 are turning into more permanent measures.
Take, for example, where people choose to live.
In a study released on Sept. 3 .Tech Domains, talked to U.S-based technology workers in August and found that COVID-19 is placing pressures on tech talent to move to more affordable areas.
The study found that 81% of tech workers living within 30 miles of the country’s biggest tech hubs, including the Bay Area, Seattle, New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Austin are considering or have already made plans to move to a more affordable city.
“As Covid-19 accelerates remote work environments for the tech workforce, many are using the flexibility to pursue more affordable lifestyles,’ explains Suman Das, Brand Director, .Tech Domains in a statement.
“Part and parcel of that is the increase we see in the broad desire to take on freelance work,” Das added. “While this allows tech talent to work in ways that meet their specific needs and preferences, it's also creating new challenges for employers when it comes to managing a distributed workforce.”
While the entire technology workforce is affected, millennial tech workers have taken a more significant blow than other generations. They are significantly more likely than older tech workers to say that they have considered moving to a more affordable area.
Additionally, an overwhelming 84% of millennial tech workers with a full-time job say that they are more likely to consider taking on freelance work since the onset of Covid-19.
Key findings from the report, include:
- 61% of tech workers saying they are working in fully remote environments
- 74% of tech workers with a full-time job say that they are more likely to consider taking on freelance work since the onset of Covid-19.
- Only 20% of all respondents say that once there is a vaccine for Covid-19 their ideal future work scenario is being in the office 100% of the time
