Working from home has become increasingly popular in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerating this trend. In 2023, about 35% of US workers who can work remotely now do so full-time, up from just 20% before the pandemic began (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/30/about-a-third-of-us-workers-who-can-work-from-home-do-so-all-the-time/). By 2025, it's estimated that over 32 million Americans will be working remotely, compared to just 16 million in 2019 (https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/remote-work-statistics/).
A work from home job is defined as a job that allows employees to complete most or all of their work duties from a home office or remote location, rather than commuting to a company worksite. With advancements in technology and internet connectivity, an increasing number of roles can now be done remotely.
In this post, we'll explore the top companies across various industries that offer remote work opportunities. From customer service and healthcare, to education, finance, and more - we'll break down the leading employers with work from home jobs available.
Technology Companies
Some of the biggest technology companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, IBM, and Salesforce offer remote work opportunities across various roles such as software engineering, product management, design, customer support, marketing, and more.
Microsoft has a flexible work program that allows employees to work remotely up to 50% of the time based on role requirements. They have a large number of engineers and other tech professionals working remotely. Apple also offers many remote positions in technical and non-technical roles. While not fully remote, Apple does provide location flexibility for certain roles.
Google and IBM have remote work programs where certain roles can be done fully remotely or with location flexibility. For example, Google has remote customer support agent roles in their Google Ads and Google Cloud divisions. IBM has remote software developer and designer roles. Salesforce is also known for having flexible work arrangements and a good number of fully remote positions across departments.
Customer Service Companies
Some of the top companies hiring for remote customer service jobs include:
Amazon - Amazon hires remote customer service associates to handle inbound calls, emails, and chats. They offer flexible scheduling and full-time roles with benefits (https://www.flexjobs.com/company-guide/customer-service-call-center-jobs).
Conduent - Conduent provides business process services and has remote customer service roles available. They focus on healthcare, transportation, and other industries.
Sutherland - Sutherland is a business process outsourcing company that allows remote work for customer service reps. They partner with major brands across various sectors.
KellyConnect - KellyConnect specializes in virtual contact center solutions. They hire for customer service roles with health insurance and 401k benefits.
Sykes Enterprises - Sykes provides business process outsourcing with work from home options. They have customer service jobs in industries like healthcare, technology, and communications.
Concentrix - Concentrix offers work from home customer service positions. They focus on technology, finance, healthcare, travel/transportation, and retail sectors.
Health Care Companies
Some of the top health care companies offering remote work opportunities include Optum, Humana, Anthem, and UnitedHealth Group.
Optum, a health services company and subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, has a variety of remote positions available such as nurses, coders, and customer service roles. According to the company's careers page, Optum offers "the flexibility to work where you work best," including from home.
Humana, one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., hires for various remote positions including telecommuting nurses, medical coders, and healthcare customer service agents, among others. A LinkedIn article notes that Humana is a leading company for work from home healthcare jobs (source).
Anthem, another major health insurer, offers work from home opportunities in areas like coding, utilization management, and health coaching. Remote roles at Anthem often include health benefits and work schedule flexibility.
UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of Optum, also has a variety of remote openings in fields ranging from IT to finance. According to FlexJobs, UnitedHealth Group is one of the best companies for remote medical and healthcare jobs (source).
Education Companies
Many education companies have embraced remote work, allowing teachers, tutors, and other education professionals to work from home. Some of the top education companies offering remote jobs include:
VIPKid is one of the most well-known companies for online English teaching jobs. Teachers work remotely teaching English to students in China. VIPKid provides the lesson plans and curriculum, so no lesson planning is required. Teachers need a bachelor's degree and TEFL certification. According to https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-companies-for-remote-education-jobs-v2/, VIPKid is one of the top companies for remote education jobs.
Pearson, the education publishing company, hires for various remote positions like curriculum developers, project managers, editors, and more. Many of the roles require prior teaching experience. According to https://builtin.com/companies/hiring/remote/type/edtech-companies, Pearson is a top edtech company hiring for remote jobs.
EF Education First offers remote work opportunities for online English teachers and test prep instructors. EF provides the lessons and materials, so instructors don't need to plan lessons. EF looks for candidates with a bachelor's degree and teaching certificate or experience. According to https://www.flexjobs.com/company-guide/online-k12-jobs, EF Education First is one of the best companies for remote K-12 jobs.
Finance Companies
The finance industry has seen rapid growth in remote work over the past few years. Many top financial services companies now hire for a variety of remote positions. Here are some of the top finance companies offering work from home jobs:
American Express is a global financial services company that offers many work from home positions in areas like customer service, sales, IT and more. Jobs can be based in the US or internationally. According to Builtin, American Express has hundreds of remote job openings currently.
Capital One is another major financial services company with a growing remote workforce. They have remote call center roles in customer service and sales, as well as many corporate positions in departments like IT, marketing, operations and more. Capital One often hires for work from home jobs nationwide, as noted by FlexJobs.
Fidelity Investments is a financial services corporation based in Boston. Fidelity has a variety of remote positions in client services, operations, IT and other corporate functions. Many Fidelity work from home jobs support their retail brokerage, wealth management and administration services, according to Builtin.
Media/Communications Companies
The media and communications industry has seen a major shift towards remote work in recent years. Companies like ViacomCBS, Comcast, and Verizon offer various remote working arrangements.
ViacomCBS has embraced remote work even before the pandemic. The company has a Remote program that allows employees to work outside of any official ViacomCBS office location. Jobs ranging from software engineering to project management are available as remote positions. According to the ViacomCBS careers page, https://careers.viacomcbs.com/, remote employees get access to the same benefits as onsite employees.
Comcast also has a decent number of remote jobs available, many in technical fields like software engineering and data science. Comcast has an entire Remote Work Program where employees can work remotely full-time if their role allows it. According to the Comcast careers page, the company will provide remote employees with equipment, tools, and resources needed to be productive outside of the office.
Verizon has remote jobs available as well, especially in areas like engineering, IT, and cybersecurity. Verizon highlights its remote work culture as a benefit on its careers page, stating that employees can work remotely for certain roles. According to Glassdoor reviews, Verizon employees praise the flexibility and work-life balance provided by remote work options.
Retail Companies
Some of the biggest retail companies offer remote work opportunities in customer service, sales, and other roles. Three major retailers with work from home jobs are Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
Amazon has a Virtual Customer Service program that allows employees to work from home handling customer inquiries over phone, chat, and email. These positions are available in many states across the U.S. [1]
Walmart employs thousands of remote workers in roles ranging from customer service to accounting. Many of these positions are part-time roles that allow flexibility. Walmart also has full-time remote roles in areas like merchandising and logistics. [2]
Target has seasonal and year-round remote positions in customer service, merchandising, HR, and other departments. These roles allow employees to work from home handling guest issues over phone and chat. Target often hires for work from home jobs in multiple states. [3]
Travel Companies
Some of the biggest travel companies offer remote work from home jobs due to the nature of the travel industry. With the rise of the internet and smartphone apps, customers are booking travel online more than ever before. This allows travel companies to have remote workers to help with sales, customer service, and other tasks.
Two of the largest online travel agencies, Expedia and Booking.com, hire for various remote positions. Expedia has customer service agent roles open to those with travel industry experience and language skills. Booking.com also hires remotely for customer service agents fluent in multiple languages to help travelers worldwide.
Other notable travel brands with remote work include Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and Kayak. There are opportunities in software engineering, marketing, sales, and more at these travel tech companies. With tourism rebounding after COVID-19 slowdowns, travel brands need remote workers now to meet demand.
Sources:
https://builtin.com/companies/hiring/remote/type/travel-companies
https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/companies-hiring-for-remote-travel-agent-jobs-v2/
Conclusion
In summary, there are many companies across a range of industries that offer work from home jobs and remote work opportunities. Technology companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft were early pioneers in allowing employees to work remotely. Customer service companies like Conduent and Alorica hire thousands of home-based call center agents and customer support reps. The healthcare industry has seen growth in telehealth and remote medical coding jobs. Education companies like VIPKid enable teachers to teach English online to students abroad. Within finance, roles like fraud analysis and claims adjustments can be done remotely. Media and communications companies utilize freelance writers, editors, designers, and more. Retailers and travel firms need virtual chat agents, social media managers, and online marketing specialists. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the trend toward working from home. While some companies are calling employees back to the office, many will maintain a hybrid model with flexibility. Looking ahead, the prevalence of remote jobs will likely continue growing. With videoconferencing, productivity software, cloud computing and other technologies, more roles can be successfully performed offsite. Workers appreciate the benefits of telecommuting while companies value the ability to access talent globally.