Top 25 Companies With the Most Work-From-Home Jobs

More workers are seeking work-from-home jobs, and more companies are offering a wider variety of remote work to attract them.

Maybe there’s a job for you. Could you:

• Analyze payment data for a major health care organization?
• Help a computer-maker develop products for its customers who offer health insurance plans?
• Recruit sales talent for a medical device-maker?

These telecommuting jobs are just a few examples posted recently by companies identified as the top 25 employers with the most available remote positions. Flexjobs, a subscription-based online service specializing in remote and flexible job opportunities, developed the list by analyzing a recent month’s worth of data from more than 30,000 companies.

“From baby boomers to millennials, working from home is the most in-demand type of work flexibility job seekers are interested in, and companies need to recognize that or they’re going to lose talent,” Sara Sutton Fell, FlexJobs’ founder and CEO, said, in releasing the list. “In fact, 68 percent of recent college graduates said of all company policies, the ability to work remotely has the most positive impact on their interest in an employer. It is a trend that is here to stay.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in a June report said 23 percent of U.S. workers now do at least some of their work from home — up from 19 percent in 2003. The bureau estimates 3.3 million people work from home full time and many more are interested in flexible opportunities.

Where the jobs are

According to Flexjobs, the top 25 employers with the most available remote positions are:

1. UnitedHealth Group
2. Dell
3. IBM
4. Kelly Services
5. CACTUS Communications
6. Aetna
7. Thermo Fisher Scientific
8. Overland Solutions, Inc.
9. VMware
10. CyberCoders
11. PAREXEL
12. First Data
13. Aon
14. K12 Inc.
15. ADP
16. A Place for Mom
17. Infor
18. Kaplan
19. Haynes & Company
20. Nielsen
21. Dell SecureWorks
22. SAP
23. CACI International
24. BCD Travel
25. Humana

This list includes a variety of industries, such as health care, technology and education, and a diverse range of job titles — among them consultant, instructor, analyst, marketing manager, nurse practitioner, client service representative, software engineer and more.

The positions offer a wide variety of flexible work options, Flexjobs noted. Some were telecommuting a few days a week; others, all the time. Employers posted part- and full-time jobs. Some were freelance contracts; others, traditional employee positions.

Many of the 25 companies also were listed in FlexJobs’ 2015 Top 100 Companies for Remote Jobs.

The metro cities with the highest work-from-home rates are San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Miami, Dallas and Boston, Flexjobs found in an earlier study. The leading career field is medical and health, according to FlexJobs’ analysis of its 2014 database.

Telecommuting a work in progress

Telecommuting, studies say, can provide workers better work-life balance and reduce stress, especially for people who give up difficult commutes. Once the purview of young mothers, the typical telecommuter now is a man in his 40s, says the HR Daily Advisor.

A worker who gives up an average 50 mile roundtrip drive to the office can save about $6,250 in annual commuting costs, according to U.S. Department of Transportation estimates. Telecommuting also reduces traffic and spares the environment.

Companies with remote workforces see absenteeism drop, retention increase, morale rise and performance improve. Telecommuters can stay connected with home Internet connections. VPNs (virtual private networks) software allows workers to access secure employer networks, HRAdvisor notes. Teleconferencing and video conferencing programs can keep geographically separated teams in constant communication.

There are some fiscal and emotional costs involved. Those home-office phone lines and Internet connections don’t come free. Remote work lessens face-to-face contact and can cause feelings of isolation. Workers sometimes complain that they are “always on.” They also have to take steps to avoid distractions.

In looking for jobs, of course, you’ll want to sidestep scams and find legitimate opportunities.

If you decide that working from home is right for you, you won’t be alone. TechCast, a George Washington University think tank, forecasts that 30 percent of workers across industrialized countries will be telecommuting by 2019.

What are your thoughts on working from home? Share them in comments below or on our Facebook page.