Why Do Some Remote Jobs Require a Location?

For many, one of the benefits of remote work is the ability to work from home, wherever that might be. However, what most people don’t realize is that the vast majority of remote jobs often require a person to be based in a specific location.

Here at FlexJobs, we’re often asked why remote jobs have location requirements because people tend to think of remote positions as being the same as “work from anywhere” jobs.

Although these types of jobs are definitely out there, the reality is that 95% of the remote jobs our researchers find actually have geographic requirements, whether it’s a specific state, city, country, or even region of the country.

FlexJobs is a subscription service for job seekers that features flexible and remote jobs. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a 4.7 rating from over 10,000 reviews, FlexJobs ensures that customers have a safe and positive remote job searching experience - without the ads, scams and junk found on other job sites.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Why do some remote jobs require a location?
• 0:56 Reasons Why Remote Jobs Have Location Requirements
• 2:34 How to Search FlexJobs Based on Location

Transcript

Why do some remote jobs require a location?

For many, one of the benefits of remote work is the ability to work from home, wherever that might be. However, what most people don’t realize is that the vast majority of remote jobs often require a person to be based in a specific location.

Here at FlexJobs, we’re often asked why remote jobs have location requirements because people tend to think of remote positions as being the same as “work from anywhere” jobs.

Although these types of jobs are definitely out there, the reality is that 95% of the remote jobs our researchers find actually have geographic requirements, whether it’s a specific state, city, country, or even region of the country.

Why Remote Jobs Have Location Requirements
Companies set location requirements on job postings for a variety of reasons—here are some of the most common:
– Meetings
Even if staff work from home, some companies want employees to be in close proximity to company offices for in-person meetings. Meetings may be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, but employers want the ease of having employees nearby to come into the office whenever needed.

– Clients
Some jobs require that workers live near their current or future client base, especially in the case of sales and project management jobs that need several in-person meetings to close deals or update stakeholders.

– Legal and Tax Considerations
State and federal regulations may dictate where companies can do business, which determines the locations where employees can work from. Similarly, tax law may determine which states companies can conduct business and hire employees in.

– Certifications
Some jobs, like teachers or lawyers, require state-issued certifications or licenses that dictate where an employee can work. If an employer is doing business in that state, they’ll need to recruit local employees with the proper credentials.

– Travel
For travel-heavy jobs, an employer may want employees to either be located near the region they’ll be traveling to the most or close to main transport hubs so they can easily access airports and public transportation.

– Time Zones
If a company wants employees to collaborate virtually in real time, they may want employees to live in certain time zones to ensure overlapping work hours that accommodate synchronous communication.

How to Search Based on Location
Fortunately, the FlexJobs database enables you to search for remote jobs in any location. Whether you’re searching for a work-from-home job that you can do from anywhere, or you’re considering remote work in your home state, here’s how to find exactly what (and where) you’re looking for.

Navigate to the Jobs by Location page to search by any of the following categories:

• U.S. National remote jobs can be worked from anywhere in the U.S.
• Anywhere remote jobs can be done from anywhere in the world.
• Remote jobs by state lets you find jobs that you can do from specific states in the U.S.
• Remote jobs by country gives you the option to search for jobs in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Germany, India, Poland, the United Kingdom, and other international locations.

To refine your location search even more (by city, zip code, or country not listed above), visit the Advanced Search page and choose your location and desired remote work level. The Remote Job Market Map also gives valuable insight into which states have the most remote jobs.

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