A survey of technology workers has revealed that people are keen to get back to the office as Covid restrictions ease, with 54% of people claiming that they would prefer to be fully or mostly based in an office.

For ‘People, Jobs and Money, A Futureheads Report’, researchers interviewed a nationally representative sample of people working in technology in the UK during March 2021. The Report also revealed that people still place high value on flexible hours, with 66% of people listing this as an important feature in a new role.

“We saw a 46% increase in vacancies for digital roles between January and March this year. As pandemic restrictions ease, it seems employers are focusing on growth, and employees have the time and the energy to start looking for their next move,” said Be Kaler Pilgrim, founder at digital recruiter Futureheads. “The market for good technical people is getting busy again, and it seems that many of those people would much rather be going to the office than heading to their kitchen table to work.”

The survey found that many people have been staying put in their jobs during lockdown. One third of respondents said the pandemic has stopped them looking for a new job, while a further third said that the pandemic stopped them initially, but that they are looking again now. There are still fears about redundancy, with 34% of people concerned redundancy is looming, and 13% having been made redundant recently.

The Report also found that tech workers are prioritising values and a sense of purpose as they search for new roles. 73% of technology jobseekers rated company purpose, alongside diversity and environment policies, as very important in a new role. Conversely, more traditional perks like free food, unlimited holiday and social events were not rated as important.

“The pandemic has given us all something to think about over the last 12 months, and it seems that people working in tech jobs are looking for something that goes beyond a rewarding career. Perhaps we’re all a bit more aware of what’s important these days, and how we as individuals can make a difference,” continued Kaler Pilgrim, founder at Futureheads.