Manchester ranks top for hybrid/remote work in legal profession
updated on 02 October 2024
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Research from The University of Law has found that Manchester is the top location for hybrid and remote roles in the legal profession, with London and Birmingham coming in second and third.
The University of Law conducted research into hybrid and remote job offerings in law through an analysis of more than 1,000 job roles. The research found that more than one-third of all roles analysed were for remote or hybrid positions. Despite the capital being home to the highest volume of legal roles, it remains behind Manchester when looking at the number of hybrid or fully remote work options available.
Taking into account the locations with the highest volume of jobs, the university put together a list of the best locations for flexible working arrangements. The report analysed the percentage of legal roles that were advertised as having hybrid or remote options in various cities across the UK, finding that:
- Manchester topped the list with 46%;
- London came in second with 34%;
- Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol were joint with 32%;
- Sheffield and Southampton came in next with 31% each;
- the first of the Scottish cities to feature in the list was Glasgow with 28%, followed by Edinburgh with 27%; and
- Leeds came in last with 22%.
The University of Law’s overall ranking was based on the highest volume of jobs per city then the highest percentage of hybrid roles per each location.
John Watkins, director of employability at The University of Law, said: “Businesses need to accept that remote working options are very much the norm now. There are arguments either side for home, hybrid and office-based roles of course, but there is now a wealth of research that points towards employees demanding a level of flexibility in their work, so employers need to be prepared to adapt.”
He added: “In the coming years it will be interesting to see the migration of legal talent should remote and hybrid working continue to be so popular. We could very well see a shift away from the traditional cities and towards more regional growth.”
