Strong job market fueling increase in remote workers

South Florida job-seekers today not only face the best job market in a decade, but also have new opportunities with employers that are adding remote workers locally and nationally.

Recent data is showing explosive growth in what are known as remote and flexible jobs, which involve either different work locations or varying work hours. Flexible jobs increased by 20 percent in 2017, according to job board FlexJobs.com.

FlexJobs.com currently has listings for remote workers located in Florida from large employers including Xerox, UnitedHealth Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thermo Fisher Scientific, as well as many smaller companies.

The fastest-growing flexible jobs are for: physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapist assistants, software developers, mathematicians, medical online assistants, occupational therapy assistants, information security analysts, genetic counselors, research analysts and post-secondary health specialty teachers, according to FlexJobs.

Employers say they are hiring remote workers because of the tight labor market — low unemployment and more jobs available — in the region. For workers, remote jobs provide new options for work and lifestyle.

“The whole concept of proving face-time in the office is not necessarily needed like it was in the ’80s and ’90s,” said Chris Pyle, CEO of Champion Solutions Group in Boca Raton, which hires remote workers in technology, sales and marketing.

The tech services company employs 70 workers in Boca Raton, and another 40 elsewhere in Florida, as well as in Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio.

“The majority of work that we do, we’re in front of customers.