Nearly half of business school students want jobs where they can work remotely

• 49% want hybrid (onsite and remote) working in any job role
• Onsite working is the least preferred option amongst students (24%)
• A quarter (26%) would not work for an employer who did not offer remote working

The majority of business school students about to enter the job market want job roles that offer either part or full-time remote work, reveals a new study by Highered, the online careers platform for EFMD.

Carried out amongst 1,041 business school students globally, nearly a third (27%) want full remote working. While 26% relayed that they would not work for an employer who did not offer remote working, over half (53%) relayed that they would. 21% indicated that they did not know at this stage. 

“Having studied remotely for much of the Covid pandemic, students are looking to continue this way of working in their careers,” said Amber Wigmore Alvarez, Chief Talent Officer at Highered. “It is a trend that is not going away and is the future for recruitment of graduates from business schools,” she adds.  

Respondents were asked about the perceived advantages of remote work, with the three top reasons being ‘flexibility to live where I like’ (35%), ‘flexibility around family commitments’ (16%), and ‘flexibility to work to my own schedule’ (15%). 

In contrast, the top perceived disadvantages of fully remote and hybrid/part remote work were ‘no balance between home/work life’ (21%), ‘pressure to work outside core hours’ (16%), and ‘isolation/loneliness’ (14%).

‘Self-motivation’ (35%) was viewed by respondents as the most important personal tribute for remote and hybrid/part remote work. This was followed by being ‘flexible and adaptable’ (14%), ‘discipline’ (13%), and ‘time management ‘(10%).

Over half of respondents think that business schools are equipping them with enough skills to lead remote teams (52%), although nearly a third (28%) thought they were not. 

“The majority of respondents (45%) felt that there are enough fully remote and hybrid/part remote work jobs in their fields of work. From our observations with the employers that we work with, the majority of corporate recruiters are adapting to, if not fully remote, hybrid ways of working,” comments Amber Wigmore Alvarez. 

Asked what they would like to see business schools doing to help prepare them for remote working, the top responses are ‘access to short workshops, courses, or training on employment skills’ (64%), ‘integration of employment skills into degree programs’ (64%), ‘opportunities for internships’ (60%) and ‘availability of consulting projects’ (54%).