73% of Greater Manchester job vacancies have no mention of flexible working

Almost three-quarters of jobs advertised in Greater Manchester have no mention of flexible (including part-time and home working) working options according to an analysis of 175,000 vacancies posted online.

Job vacancies in the city-region are at their highest level since records began over 20 years ago, but only 11% include mention of home-working possibilities, and just 9% offer part-time options. Flexible working terms tracked by Timewise to compile the Greater Manchester Flexible Working Index only appeared in 27% of online job listings in the city-region.

The greatest proportion of flexible jobs in Greater Manchester can be found in IT, social services, education, science & R&D, HR, law and marketing. Frontline services, representing nearly 62.5% of the workforce, including the manufacturing, construction and logistics sectors, however, were the worst performing sectors for access to flexible working.

In response to the figures, Greater Manchester’s political leaders are calling for more employers to offer flexible employments options to help attract skills and talent to the city-region. Better job design was also recommended to prevent the creation of a two-tier workforce, and ensure flexibility is available to workers throughout the jobs market.

The proportion of jobs in Greater Manchester open to flexible working has more than doubled in four years, thanks to initiatives like the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter. However, more needs to be done to drive up flexible working opportunities, which are of particular importance to women, older workers and those with health conditions and disabilities, and also offers an opportunity to employers to attract a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“The world of work has changed. Having the option of flexible working is better for workers and employers – and will help Greater Manchester attract the talent and skills we need to turbocharge our economy. I believe this report can be the start of a step-change which could see our city-region become a beacon of good, flexible working.  We’re already a destination for ambitious and talented people, but if we start to offer more flexible working across all parts of our economy, we’ll open up opportunities for even more people and reap the rewards for years to come.”

Timewise co-founder Emma Stewart MBE comments:

“Simply put, flexible hiring opens more doors to more people. You can reach more deeply into communities and connect with diverse local talent. Furthermore, it only takes a simple shift. Describing your existing hybrid working possibilities in a job ad or thinking through whether a role can work just as well as 4 days as in 5, or as a job share. The more specific you can be on what flexible options you can offer the better placed you’ll be to attract great new talent.”

Greater Manchester Combined Authority portfolio lead for Economy & Business, Cllr Elise Wilson, said:

“Greater Manchester is a people-first place. It always has been. It’s why we are so proud of our Good Employment Charter. We are determined to lead the UK when it comes to employment standards. So I urge employers to make the change to your job advert, show your flexible working hours, and demonstrate how you are putting people first too.”

The GMCA and Timewise will be hosting a webinar on Friday 11^th March from 2.30pm to 3.30 pm for employers and industry bodies, to launch the report and raise awareness of the benefits and importance of flexible working. The event will be chaired by Cllr Elise Wilson and is free to attend: for further information and to book your place, visit the Eventbrite page.