Motus Research Reveals Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Employee and Candidate Location and Costs of Living

Report Serves as Tool for Employers Redefining Recruiting Strategies as Candidates Exit Large Cities and Embrace Long-Term Remote Work

BOSTON, Mass., October 29, 2020 – Motus, the definitive leader in solutions for businesses with mobile-enabled workforces, today released “The Impact of Relocation and Delocation Trends on Talent Acquisition.” The report details how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped talent location and recruitment strategies. As workers become increasingly motivated to leave crowded cities and employers embrace long-term or permanent remote work, the report reveals how companies can take advantage of current relocation trends and the sudden surplus of talent when planning short-term and long-term recruiting strategies.

“Businesses are weathering a very atypical global economic disruption and, as a result, many organizations reduced their workforces. This has led to a sudden talent surplus – highly skilled workers who wouldn’t be job hunting under normal circumstances,” said Ken Robinson, Market Research Manager at Motus. “Employers who have decentralized their offices and adopted remote work policies are in the best position to benefit from this short-term surplus because they can expand recruiting efforts to a global demographic and onboard the most qualified candidates, regardless of location.”

By delocating and enacting formal remote work policies, employers can access a deeper, global talent pool, expand hiring opportunities beyond metropolitan areas and create significant savings. In addition to recouping real estate spend, which averages $5,000 per employee per year, Motus research identified salary requirements for remote employees may vary by as much as 30% due to living costs in different areas of the country. For example, the report found that the cost of remote work in San Jose, California is 146% higher than the national average. On the other end, Raleigh, North Carolina is 6% below the U.S. median. As such, a decentralized company can hire an equally talented employee living on the opposite side of the country at a much lower cost.

The report found that employees have welcomed the opportunity to work remotely. Many have chosen to shed the high costs associated with living in major metropolitan cities and relocate to more affordable suburban areas. Specifically, the report found that 43% of urban dwellers have considered moving since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional 22% of U.S. adults have either relocated or know someone who has. While this rate of relocation is much higher than previous years, companies can anticipate a long-term trend. The report shows 40% of Generation Z and millennial professionals want to work in a geographically flexible way.

“More than 90 million people in the U.S. have jobs that can be performed remotely. Leveraging that flexibility broadens the talent pool, and creates significant savings for employers in high-cost areas,” Robinson said. “But to make remote work successful, employers need to implement policies that reimburse employees for the use of their personal assets for business purposes. Remote work costs vary by location, so simply paying employees a flat stipend can lead to the under-reimbursement or over-reimbursement of workers. Businesses looking to capitalize on these talent trends should create a policy that is fair to employees and complies with state and federal labor regulations.”

To download the full Motus report, “The Impact of Relocation and Delocation Trends on Talent Acquisition,” visit: https://resources.motus.com/reports/relocation-and-delocation-trends-impact-talent-aquisition