Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In this article, we show that remote work is associated with higher skill and qualification requirements in hiring. Drawing on qualitative interviews, we identify several mechanisms through which remote work raises hiring standards. By reducing face-to-face interaction and real-time communication, remote work makes training and employee support more challenging, expands the pool of applicants, and leads employers to rely more on quantifiable metrics. We tested these ideas by analyzing over 50 million job postings from 28 European countries between 2018 and 2021 and found that the shift to remote work is associated with a higher number of required skills and greater work experience for a job. These findings indicate that remote work contributes to skill upgrading in the labor market.
Source: Administrative Science Quarterly
Authors: Shinan Wang, Letian Zhang, Zhenyu Liao
Institutions: Northwestern University, Northeastern University
Language: English
Topic: Employer Branding and e-HRM
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7162803563