At the beginning of 2023, it seemed like many businesses were pulling back on remote tech roles. According to an analysis by CompTIA, the number of remote jobs for multiple tech positions—including software engineer, IT support specialist, and network engineer—had noticeably dropped between November and December.

However, it now seems like that trend has stabilized: according to the latest job report from CompTIA, the volume of remote positions for many tech roles is now on the upswing. Software developer/engineer, IT support specialist, systems analyst, and cybersecurity specialist/engineer are just some of the positions that saw a month-over-month increase. Check out the full chart:

Of course, one month doesn’t make a trend, but combined with the notably low tech unemployment rate (1.5 percent in January, down from 1.8 percent in December), it’s clear that organizations everywhere still need a variety of tech professionals—and they’re willing to have those professionals work remotely full-time if it means securing their talent.

During the pandemic, pundits cheerfully predicted that organizations would permanently adopt all-remote work. However, even some remote-friendly companies have reversed their stance in recent months; in December, for example, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff—long a fan of remote work—publicly questioned whether employees needed to come back to the office in order to boost the productivity of newer hires. Disney, Starbucks, Twitter, and other prominent companies are also demanding that employees head into a physical office, which usually means that many smaller companies will follow suit.

 

But workers don’t necessarily want to come back to an office full-time. In survey after survey, tech professionals have also exhibited an interest in hybrid work, which means coming into the office just a few days per week. For many of them, hybrid is the best of both worlds: the chance for in-person camaraderie and mentorship, combined with the flexibility and control of remote work. Last year’s edition of Stack Overflow’s annual Developer Salary found that 42 percent of developers had a hybrid work setup, while another 42 percent were remote.

Whether or not the number of remote tech jobs stabilizes (or even begins to climb again), keep in mind that tech professionals with the right mix of experience and skills can often negotiate with their managers for a hybrid and/or flexible schedule. If you can show you can do the job, many managers are likely to give you the leeway you want.