The impact of how work changed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt.

Some employers are having applicants drop out because they want to work from home.

What You Need To Know

  • Some employers are having job applicants drop out because the applicants want to work from home

  • While some places are having trouble recruiting, the director of Herkimer Working Solutions said positions are still being filled by people who are willing to work on-site

  • According to a web article posted by the U.S. Career Institute in April, millennials are the age group with the most remote workers

“We interview numerous people who, the first question after we go through the traditional, background issues is, ‘Can I work from home?’ No, we’re government; we need to be here," said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.

That explanation about why the county had a tough time filling job openings came after Picente's budget proposal this fall.

The county hasn’t been alone in getting those requests to work from home. The director of Working Solutions in Herkimer County, Nicole Wilson, said it’s a popular question.

“It's an exciting thing to be able to work from home," Wilson said. "You cut out your commute, so then that's less money that you're spending in gas or car maintenance or anything like that.”

Wilson said the requests don’t usually come from people in rural areas as they have internet concerns, but often come from people living in urban areas.

She said there are a lot of catches with remote positions people may not realize. These are often customer service-based positions, and companies try to make sure an employee is doing the job they’re paid to do.

“That can be done by monitoring how many calls that you're taking, how much downtime's in between calls. They'll monitor your keystrokes or your computer wait times," said Wilson.

While some places are having trouble recruiting, Wilson says she’s finding that positions are still being filled by people who are willing to work on-site.

So, from what she’s seen, employers aren’t offering special incentives to draw people back into the workplace. That could leave remote work-seekers in a tough spot as those jobs are competitive.

“Instead of just battling it out between you and five other people from your area, you're battling out with 500 people from across the country," Wilson said.

According to a web article posted by the U.S. Career Institute in April, millennials are the age group with the most remote workers.

Wilson encourages people applying for jobs online to apply directly through the company’s website rather than a third party to know the job opening is legitimate and to protect your personal information.