If you want to work from home or anywhere in the world, consider a career in project management, technology, or communications.

As some high-profile companies tighten return-to-office mandates, employers in these fields are still hiring for more remote, flexible roles, according to new research from FlexJobs. 

The site found a 20% increase in the number of remote job listings in 2024 compared to 2023, returning to growth levels last seen in 2022.

But workers who hope for a return to earlier, more accommodating norms might not want to get too excited. Other signs point to a continued decline: On LinkedIn, for example, just 8% of jobs were remote as of December 2024, down from 18% in early 2022.

Work-from-anywhere jobs, in which employees are can function from any location or time zone, are rare and only account for about 5% of all remote roles, FlexJobs reports. 

The site analyzed its database and determined which companies had the highest volume of remote, location-flexible job postings between January and December 2024 in order to identify the top companies hiring for such positions right now.

All of the companies included in the ranking offer full-time or part-time remote jobs that don’t have a location restriction and require no time in the office. You can check out the full list here.

Here are 10 companies with a high volume of work-from-anywhere job postings, according to FlexJobs:

1. Veeva
2. Invisible Technologies
3. Canonical
4. Social Discovery Group
5. Wikimedia Foundation
6. Remote
7. Chainlink Labs
8. Nethermind
9. Gamurs Group
10. CloudLinux

“Trends like digital nomadism and the wider availability of digital nomad visas are driving demand for work-from-anywhere jobs — but the marketplace is still highly competitive,” Toni Frana, FlexJobs’s career expert manager, tells CNBC Make It.

To improve your chances of landing one of these roles, Frana advises applying to at least two or three companies, networking with employees at your target organizations, and seeking referrals.

Among the most in-demand roles that companies are hiring for are product managers and software engineers, both of which offer average salaries exceeding $100,000 in the U.S., according to ZipRecruiter.

Such jobs typically require, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree and technical skills, including a knowledge of programming languages and project management software.

Many companies are also hiring for work-from-anywhere roles like sales development representatives and marketing and editorial positions. About 70% of the remote job listings on FlexJobs’s database are for jobs at an intermediate or experienced level.

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Last year proved challenging for homebuyers, with only 28% of those planning to purchase a home successfully doing so, according to a new survey by NerdWallet.

Rising home prices, selected by 18% of respondents, was the most-cited challenge. That’s perhaps not surprising considering prices have surged 33% since 2020, further squeezing buyers already contending with mortgage rates that have doubled to over 6% in that time.

Potential buyers were also derailed by a historically tight housing market that has limited the supply of homes, the survey finds, with other top reasons including failed offers, difficulty finding suitable homes, high mortgage rates, trouble qualifying for loans and the rising cost of insurance.

“The biggest issue is that not enough homes are for sale,” says Holden Lewis, a mortgage expert at NerdWallet. “The low inventory pushes prices upward as buyers compete with one another.”

The combination of rising home prices and increasing mortgage rates has forced many Americans to set budgets far below what’s typically sold in today’s market. On average, survey respondents planned to spend a median of $150,000 on a home — a figure that falls significantly short of the national median sales price of $420,400, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.

This can make it harder for first-time buyers to compete with wealthier buyers when bidding on homes.

“I have worked with millennials who feel trapped between a rock and a hard place,” says Andrew Herzog, a certified financial planner in Texas. “More often than not, I’ve simply advised people to prolong their search, while still saving for an emergency fund and retirement. Most everyone realizes mortgage rates are unlikely to bottom around 3% again, so this is the new norm for homeownership pursuit.”

Renters in particular “face escalating costs that often leave little room for discretionary savings, making it harder to accumulate the funds needed for a down payment,” says MaryAnne Gucciardi, a CFP in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“In contrast, homeowners benefit from equity and locked-in, lower mortgage rates, which shield them from similar challenges,” she adds.

These challenges contributed to the sharp decline in first-time buyers, who made up just 24% of home purchases last year — the smallest share since the National Association of Realtors began tracking the data in 1981.

A lack of affordability is also why 2024 was one of the most lackluster years for home sales in decades, according to NAR data. The issue hasn’t been a lack of demand, but rather the rising costs that have priced out countless would-be buyers who can no longer afford to finance a median-priced home.

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A parent’s job isn’t to shield their child from life’s challenges, but to guide them through — offering support and tools to help them thrive in tough times. 

As a child life specialist and therapist, I’ve worked with thousands of children and families facing illness, trauma, grief, and loss. I’ve observed the words and actions that reveal a child is learning to cope effectively with life’s inevitable difficulties.

It isn’t about staying calm or avoiding tears. It’s about using strategies and skills to manage, tolerate, and reduce stress when it arises. That’s why children who cope well tend to have high emotional intelligence. They’re good at identifying their feelings and using positive strategies to manage their emotions.

Listen up for these six things you might hear kids with high emotional intelligence say:

Children with high emotional intelligence likely have trusted adults who’ve taught them that it’s okay to cry and that all feelings are okay. 

They know it’s natural to feel sad, angry, frustrated, or concerned in response to tough situations. By the same token, they’ve learned that it’s okay to have happy, joyful, or playful moments even during hard times. 

Children with healthy coping skills can recognize and manage their emotions. They know the warning signs — rapid thoughts, a fast heartbeat, tense muscles, or a knot in their stomach — and feel comfortable asking for what they need.

They might head to their “coping corner” to give themselves the time and space to use their pre-planned tools. For example, they might pick up a pinwheel or blow bubbles to help them with deep breathing. 

They likely learned these skills by watching their parents model self-regulation and open communication.

Emotionally intelligent children can recognize emotions in others, too. They understand that both adults and kids can have big feelings during difficult times, and that everyone copes differently. 

They might be the first to recognize that when their friend is upset, they may need space or a hug and that either is okay.

Empathy toward others comes naturally for them and they demonstrate ease and comfort listening to another’s perspective, respecting their needs, and working together. 

They understand that even when their parent is emotional, they can still be loved, cared for, and safe.

Children who’ve practiced setting boundaries for how they’d like to be treated tend to have high emotional intelligence. They can effectively communicate their needs, wants, and feelings while being sensitive to the other person. 

They might say, “I don’t like when you use my things without asking,” or, “I don’t like not knowing what to expect.” Or you might hear other statements that start with:

• “I’m not okay with…”
• “I don’t want to talk about…”
• “I don’t think it’s nice/funny when…” 

They’re also thoughtful about respecting their peers’ and siblings’ needs.

This phrase indicates that a child is self-reflective and free from shame. Instead of being fearful of making or admitting to mistakes, they’re able to talk about it and problem-solve to improve the situation or circumstance. 

They also recognize what they could have done better or differently because they know that mistakes are how we grow, learn, and develop through challenges.

Confidence and creativity in problem-solving are signs of emotional intelligence and healthy coping. Kids who’ve faced difficult situations have learned to work together with their peers and trusted adults to find reasonable solutions or paths forward.

They feel confident expressing their opinions, ideas, and qualities, while also listening and learning from others.

When kids navigate obstacles and consequences in a safe environment, they can develop decision-making skills and flexibility while also cultivating emotional awareness and self-esteem.

If your kids aren’t saying these things yet, don’t worry. Emotional intelligence and coping skills take time to develop and often begin with parenting.

Simply start by saying these things yourself. Kids learn best from what’s modeled for them.

Kelsey Mora is Certified Child Life Specialist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who provides custom support, guidance, and resources to parents, families, and communities impacted by medical conditions, trauma, grief, and everyday life stress. She is a private practice owner, mom of two, the creator and author of The Method Workbooks, and the Chief Clinical Officer of the nonprofit organization Pickles Group.

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Since co-founding Hello Alice, a platform that helps entrepreneurs gain access to funding and education, more than seven years ago, Elizabeth Gore has had occasion to hire and interview hundreds of people, she says.

The platform has helped 1.5 million entrepreneurs and contributed $52 million in grants, says Gore, who was also the entrepreneur in residence at both the United Nations and Dell. She’s long been helping entrepreneurs in the U.S. and worldwide build their businesses and find success.

When it comes to hiring, Gore has one question she likes to ask: “What do you think we’re doing wrong at our company?” she says.

Here’s why.

For Gore, it’s important to find people who are thinking big picture about Hello Alice’s success down the line.

“How are you going to push our company goals?” She says as an example of what she considers. “What innovation are they bringing to the table?” Asking what Hello Alice is doing “wrong” is a way to see if a candidate has actively thought about problem solving and how to move the company forward.

It’s also a way to see how prepared they are and what kind of work ethic they have. “It’ll show they’ve done their homework” in learning about the company they theoretically want to work for, she says.

Finally, startups sometimes have to pivot quickly to meet the needs of their new clients. The question helps to show that candidates “can think on their feet,” she says.

For Gore, this question is also a way to gauge a candidate’s ability to be respectful. “How you deliver that answer is as important as what you deliver,” she says.

It would be easy to frame the answer as, “well, you suck at these five things,” she says. But that’s a pretty mean and condescending way to give constructive criticism. And it wouldn’t make for a positive work environment.

Instead, she looks for people who frame their answer saying something like, “here’s a growth area that I would recommend,” she says. They’re not talking down to her as they try to help the company improve.

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Sabina Nawaz has been working with job seekers for a long time.

She began her career at Microsoft, where she spent 15 years, first in software engineering then in human resources. In 2005, Nawaz left the company to pursue a career in executive coaching and has been helping senior leaders build their careers ever since. Her book, “You’re the Boss,” about the pitfalls of leadership and how to be a good manager, will be published in March.

Nawaz has also seen her fair share of resumes: “When I was a hiring manager at Microsoft, I was looking at thousands of resumes a year.”

Whether it’s working with potential job candidates or executive clients, Nawaz has identified two red flags she comes across most often on resumes.

First, Nawaz sees a lot of candidates use general statements to describe their work experience. For example, “I facilitated lots of things.”

Instead, when you’re breaking down your experience for each job title, Nawaz says to focus on specific events you planned, papers you wrote or technologies you built — whatever is relevant to you. All of these give potential employers a clear sense of what kind of worker you are and what strengths you’ll bring to the role.

“The goal of a resume is to differentiate yourself from others,” she says. “When you make general statements, you don’t stand out in the herd.”

The other red flag, Nawaz says, is a lack of “so what?” statements.

Consider the day-to-day tasks you took on at work then think, “what was the payoff?” she says. “What was the impact? What was the result of you doing that thing?”

Your “so what” should be “in every single” bullet under a job title.

If you worked in mergers and acquisitions, for example, say “mergers and acquisitions totaled so much in dollar amount, have resulted in such and such business impact for the company or have improved a competitive position in such and such way,” she says.

The point is to give tangible evidence of the positive impacts your work made.

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