Computer and IT is the No. 1 field for remote work careers

The job platform site FlexJobs 8th annual "Top 100 Companies to Watch for Remote Jobs" list includes 32 tech companies, too.

Certainly, 2020 was the year of COVID-19, which spread devastation throughout the world, and one of its numerous impacts was a swift and dramatic upheaval of the enterprise. In an effort to slow the spread, office workers were sent home to telecommute, thus, eventually normalizing remote work. Those once opposed to it have grudgingly realized the benefit of the dispersed workforce and many companies have now given employees the option to make the move to telecommuting permanent. The job-seeker site FlexJobs has just released its eighth annual "Top 100 Companies to Watch for Remote Jobs" list, which, in addition to companies that most seek remote workers, includes the types of jobs most likely to offer remote opportunities.

More for CXOs

"The coronavirus pandemic has permanently reshaped the workplace and how, when, and where people work," said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs, in a recent post on the FlexJobs site. "Business models have been forever disrupted with the realization that remote work is smart, strategic, and sustainable for companies to embrace, improving not only the bottom line but also providing benefits to the overall workforce."

The new report is based on the job-posting histories of approximately 57,000 companies from January to December 2020. Companies and positions were classified as "remote," which meant some level of remote work, including during the pandemic, 100% remote work, hybrid positions as well as companies that give employees the option to work remotely.

SEE: One-third of employees would take a pay cut for better work-life balance (TechRepublic)

Top career fields

Those in the area of computer/IT and healthcare have the most opportunities for remote jobs, followed by project management, sales, accounting and finance, customer service, and marketing.

The fastest-growing career categories were assessed from March to December 2020, by the growth of remote positions were marketing, administrative, HR and recruiting, accounting and financing, graphic design, customer service, writing, mortgage and real estate, internet and e-commerce, and project management.

"While a wide variety of jobs can be done from home, some of the most popular remote job titles include accountant, customer service representative, nurse, project manager, recruiter, teacher, web developer, and writer," Flexjobs said.

Top tech-related companies for remote work

The total top 100

The complete list of the top 100 best companies for remote work (all industries). Asterisks indicate companies which have made FlexJobs' Top 100 list every year since 2014:

1 Lionbridge

2 TTEC

3 Liveops

4 Working Solutions

5 Kelly Services/Kelly Connect *

6 Williams-Sonoma

7 TranscribeMe

8 Sutherland

9 Robert Half International

10 Transcom

11 UnitedHealth Group *

12 Cactus Communications

13 Citrix

14 EF Education First

15 Randstad

16 K12 *

17 Supporting Strategies

18 Aerotek

19 Kforce

20 BELAY

21 Amazon

22 VocoVision

23 Oracle

24 Thermo Fisher Scientific

25 Salesforce *

26 Motion Recruitment Partners

27 Pearson Online & Blended Learning K-12

28 CVS Health *

29 UKG – Ultimate Kronos Group

30 Aetna

31 Ajilon

32 Accounting Principals

33 PRA Health Sciences

34 Aquent

35 Anthem, Inc. *

36 VIQ Solutions

37 Citizens Bank

38 Twilio

39 Pearson

40 IQVIA

41 Dell Technologies *

42 CrowdStrike

43 KPMG

44 Humana *

45 Veeva

46 SAP *

47 Red Hat

48 Philips

49 Shopify

50 Atlassian

51 Apex Systems

52 Paylocity

53 Achieve Test Prep

54 NTT DATA

55 Haynes & Company

56 eXp Realty

57 GitHub

58 Home Point Financial

59 Keywords Studios

60 Elastic

61 Boldly

62 SAIC – Science Applications International Corporation

63 Beacon Hill Staffing Group

64 General Dynamics Information Technology

65 Syneos Health

66 Adecco

67 SPECTRAFORCE

68 Wells Fargo

69 Motorola Solutions

70 Tanium

71 ADP *

72 Parexel *

73 Pega – Pegasystems, Inc.

74 Grand Canyon Education – GCE

75 Vaco

76 Merck

77 Change Healthcare

78 Literably

79 TEKsystems

80 LanguageLine Solutions

81 ServiceNow

82 Alight Solutions

83 Cisco

84 USAA

85 ReCharge Payments

86 Stryker

87 FlexProfessionals

88 Flagstar Bank

89 Western Governors University – WGU

90 Vitamin T

91 Upwork

92 Leidos

93 Capital Group Companies

94 Soliant Health

95 Kraken

96 Pfizer

97 McKesson Corporation

98 Vistaprint

99 Collabera

100 Profit Factory

Tips on finding and landing a remote job

FlexJobs recommends that job seekers do research and suggests starting with companies, products, and services you admire. They caution against scams and suggest your initial research should include identifying the legitimacy of the company. Lastly, if you're a job seeker who is not entirely certain of what you want to do, FlexJobs recommends you consult with a career coach.

Remote work is definitely a thing now, with 95% of respondents to a previous FlexJobs report saying they're as productive or much more productive working from home.