Would tech professionals move to a new city or state for a job? As more companies attempt to draw employees back to the office full-time, that question is more critical than ever.

Via a LinkedIn poll, Dice recently asked its audience whether they’d move to a new city or state for their dream job. Out of 1,582 respondents, a mere 38 percent said “absolutely,” while 15 percent wouldn’t do it. A full 47 percent would only do so if the location or salary/benefits aligned with their current needs. Check out the chart:

During the pandemic, many an executive breezily predicted that remote work would become the way of the future; offices at companies like Salesforce were redesigned with the assumption that a certain percentage of employees would come in rarely, if at all. But as offices re-opened, companies began to take a different posture: they wanted all employees to return at least a few days a week. “It’s easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a February 2023 memo to employees. 

Although many tech professionals prefer a hybrid way of working (i.e., two or three days in the office per week), the rise of all-remote work offered companies one distinct advantage: they could hire employees from practically anywhere. In theory, a tech company in a small town in the middle of nowhere could compete for the same specialized talent as a big company in a major tech hub, provided they fielded a good-enough offer.

While the remote-work trend won’t die away anytime soon, it’s clear from this latest poll that many tech pros wouldn’t relocate for a job, even an amazing one—putting companies that enforce in-person work at a potential disadvantage in the long-term battle for talent.