A new study by office search agency, Sketch Labs, finds that searches for the term “office job” are back to pre-pandemic levels, increasing by 2361.4% since 2019-2020 – meaning that people are now searching for office jobs 23 times more often than they were two years ago.
The data comes as the company reports exponential growth since it was founded, with profits rising by a staggering 4152% and turnovers increasing 2361% in just 4 years. Examining Google Trends data, Sketch Labs finds that searches for “office job” have been steadily increasing since the start of the year with UK searches increasing 40% since the start of the year.
The study also looked at the top countries where searches for the term “office job” are highest for this year, with the U.S showing a whopping 50% increase and the UK following closely behind at 40% since the start of 2023.
Remote work vs office work: Searches for remote work declined by 40% since January 2023
The study also found that searches for the term “remote job” have been declining since the start of the year and according to Google Trends, the search interest score for the term “remote job” has declined by 40% since January 2023.
Mark Knops, CEO and Founder of Sketch Labs comments: “100% of our clients now work to a hybrid model, usually with policies that stipulate working 2-3 days from the office. This rise of hybrid work is likely to be a permanent trend. This will allow employees to choose the work arrangement that best suits their needs, which will lead to increased productivity and satisfaction. Businesses that are able to offer hybrid work arrangements, rather than asking employees to come back to the office full time will be able to attract and retain top talent, while also improving productivity and satisfaction.”
Workers around the world: Top countries most wanting to return to the office in 2023
| Count | Country | Search increase |
| 1 | U.S | 50% |
| 2 | UK | 40% |
| 3 | Canada | 30% |
| 4 | Germany | 20% |
| 5 | Australia | 10% |
The study looks at search trends for the term “office jobs” globally, showing the biggest growth in the U.S, UK and Canada – with searches shooting up 120% in these 3 countries since January 2023. The study reveals that the desire to return to the office is not limited to one country or region, and employees around the world are eager to get back to the workplace.
Mark Knops from Sketch Labs comments: “The desire to return to the office is a sign that people are starting to crave the in-person interactions that are essential for building relationships and collaboration. While many people enjoyed the flexibility of working from home during the pandemic, they are now starting to realise that there are some things that can’t be replicated online.”
The most searched office jobs per country in 2023
| Count | Country | Office job | Search increase |
| 1 | U.S | Software Engineer | 50% |
| 2 | UK | Data Scientist | 30% |
| 3 | Canada | Software Engineer | 25% |
| 4 | Germany | Marketing Manager | 10% |
| 5 | Australia | Software Engineer | 10% |
Examining job types, the study looks at the most popular office jobs per country, showing significant increases in office jobs in the technology sector. According to the data, the most popular office job type per country is software engineer – showing a 75% increase in search demand since January 2023.
Sketch Labs reports a 7000% increase in profits
Since its founding in 2019, Sketch Labs has experienced remarkable growth over the past four years, especially since the pandemic. Their turnover has increased by 1,189% from 2019 to 2023, and their profits have skyrocketed by 7,126% over the same period. Sketch Labs is a perfect example of a company that solves a problem when the market needs it most. As the return to the office movement continues, Sketch Labs aims to take the hassle out of the office search and as a result has seen a 257% increase in demand for its services.
