- Remote Work Postings Increased During Q2
- Starbucks Orders Employees Back to the Office Four Days a Week
- Missouri Governor Repeals Paid Sick Leave Law
- Report: 59% of U.S. Workers Feel Uneasy Taking Time Off
- Indeed, Glassdoor to Cut 1,300 Jobs
Remote Work Postings Increased During Q2
Postings for remote jobs grew by 8% in the second quarter of 2025, signaling steady demand and long-term resilience in the remote workforce. This is according to the latest Remote Work Economy Index, released Tuesday, July 8, by FlexJobs, a labor market platform.
According to the report, the gains in job postings reflect a reshaping, not a reduction, of the remote work landscape.
Examined by experience level, most remote job postings were for jobs classified as “experienced” (69%). This was followed by “manager” (15%), “senior manager” (10%) and “entry level” (6%).
In addition to high overall volume, several career fields saw notable Q2 growth in remote opportunities. FlexJobs said these trends point to areas where remote work is expanding and staying in high demand for skilled professionals. For instance, the computer and IT and the communications industries more than doubled in fully remote job listings, while the education and training sector grew by more than 20%. Project management and engineering also maintained steady volumes, reflecting continued demand for remote work in these areas.
While some fields showed gains, others experienced a remote hiring slowdown in the quarter. These industries saw reductions in remote job postings, declining by an average of 9%. The steepest declines occurred in nursing and legal, and in jobs classified as bilingual, writing and administrative. The report said economic pressures and changing employer priorities were factors in downward hiring trends.
Starbucks Orders Employees Back to the Office Four Days a Week
Starbucks corporate employees will have to return to the office four days a week starting in October, the coffee chain announced Monday, July 14. Workers are currently required to be in the office three days a week.
For employees who do not want to return for the additional day, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said a “one-time voluntary exit program with a cash payment” will be offered to them.
“We are re-establishing our in-office culture because we do our best work when we’re together. We share ideas more effectively, creatively solve hard problems and move much faster,” Niccol shared in the announcement. “Being in person also helps us build and strengthen our culture. As we work to turn the business around, all these things matter more than ever.”
In addition, Niccol announced all support center people leaders will be expected to be based in Seattle or Toronto within 12 months. In February, the company asked all vice presidents working remotely to begin relocating to one of those cities.
Starbucks had approximately 16,000 employees working outside of store locations as of last year, according to CNBC.
Missouri Governor Repeals Paid Sick Leave Law
As reported by the Associated Press, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Thursday, July 10, signed the repeal of a law ( House Bill 567) that guaranteed paid sick leave to workers and inflationary adjustments to the minimum wage. The repeal will take effect Aug. 28.
Kehoe described the paid sick leave law as an onerous mandate that imposed burdensome record-keeping on employers.
“Today, we are protecting the people who make Missouri work — families, job creators and small business owners — by cutting taxes, rolling back overreach and eliminating costly mandates,” Kehoe, a Republican, said in a statement released after a private bill-signing ceremony.
According to employment law firm Ogletree Deakins, Missouri voters passed a ballot measure on Nov. 5, 2024, raising the state’s minimum wage as of Jan. 1, 2025, and requiring employers to provide earned paid sick time as of May 1. HB 567 now repeals the paid sick time statute and amends the minimum wage statute to eliminate the cost-of-living increase built into future years.
Under the paid sick time law, Missouri employees were to accrue one hour of earned paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Missouri employers must still provide paid sick time to eligible employees for a 17-week period from May 1 to Aug. 28.
Missouri voters will have another opportunity to consider the issue of paid sick time in the November 2026 election, according to Ogletree Deakins. A ballot initiative has already been filed that would provide a similar paid sick time benefit to Missouri employees with a few key changes, such as allowing an employer to avoid the carryover mandate by frontloading the required paid sick time at the beginning of the year. If passed, the proposed new law would take effect on Feb. 1, 2027.
Report: 59% of U.S. Workers Feel Uneasy Taking Time Off
A new survey of more than 1,000 employed U.S. workers found many people have hesitations and concerns when it comes to using their paid time off (PTO). The report by LiveCareer revealed 59% of polled workers feel some form of anxiety when it comes to taking time off from work, even though 45% receive more than two weeks of PTO per year.
The career website also found:
- Toxic workplace norms restrict vacations. Thirty-three percent of surveyed workers feel pressure not to use all their PTO, and 9% said their employer actively discourages time off.
- Fear and PTO guilt still dominate time-off decisions. Fifty-nine percent of workers have anxiety about taking PTO. Top concerns include work piling up, missing out on opportunities and being perceived as less committed.
- Workload undermines policy. Forty-nine percent report their employer says it supports vacation, but workloads make taking time off unrealistic.
- PTO is earned but not used. While 45% receive more than two weeks off annually, 52% plan to take less than one week this summer.
- Leadership sets the tone. Twenty percent are less likely to take time off from work if their manager doesn’t take vacation.
- Workers want support. Employees would feel more confident taking time off if they had better financial stability (51%), coverage for their work (25%) and supportive leadership (18%).
To overcome the fear, guilt and pressure surrounding PTO, surveyed workers said these are the top factors that would make them feel more confident requesting time off:
- Better financial stability (51%)
- More PTO (26%)
- Backup or coverage for their work (25%)
- Mental health days built into benefits (18%)
- Supportive managers and leadership (18%)
- Less fear of layoffs (12%)
- Clearer corporate policies on time off (7%)
Indeed, Glassdoor to Cut 1,300 Jobs
As reported by Reuters , Recruit Holdings, the Japanese parent of Indeed and Glassdoor, announced Friday, July 11, it is laying off approximately 1,300 workers at the two employment website companies. The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring that involves Glassdoor’s operations being integrated within Indeed, and an increasing focus on using artificial intelligence (AI).
The cuts — representing about 6% of the HR technology segment workforce — are mostly in the U.S. and within the research and development, growth, and people and sustainability teams.
Recruit, which acquired Indeed in 2012 and Glassdoor in 2018, currently has 20,000 employees in the HR technology business unit.
Editor’s Note: Additional Content
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