Flexible working nudges can have big impact on number of new flexi roles

Prompting employers to clearly advertise flexible working options leads to a 20% increase in the number of jobs advertised as flexible which could translate to the creation of thousands of new flexible jobs, according to research by  Indeed and the government-backed Behavioural Insights Team (BIT).

BIT analysed more than 780,000 job postings on Indeed.co.uk by 100,000 employers and concluded that if a ‘nudge’ approach – encouraging employers to think about whether a job can be done flexibly – were encouraged on Indeed alone it would add at least 174,000 flexible jobs to the UK economy in a year.

The research – which analysed nearly 20 million job applications and is thought to be the largest of its kind conducted in the UK – also showed that jobs with clear flexible working options could attract up to 30% more applicants than those that did not.

An accompanying study by BIT found that more flexible new roles could also boost diversity. It said that, although men and women are equally attracted to adverts specifically advertising flexible work, greater transparency of flexible working arrangements would likely disproportionately benefit women, as – pre-pandemic – women were twice as likely to work flexibly.

Minister for Women, Baroness Berridge, said: “Our work with Indeed has proven how much benefit there is for employers in advertising flexible roles and how doing so will help to normalise flexible working. Everyone can benefit from flexible working, but the research shows that for women it can be especially important. Flexible working can be a vital tool at the disposal of employers, helping to achieve workplace equality.”

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