5 in-demand jobs you can do from home

February 23, 2024

Don’t want to return to the office? The roles on this list will give you the flexibility to keep working remotely. 

If you’re looking to upskill or target a job that can be done from home, these are the industries worth looking into. Not only do they offer a better work-life balance, but they also provide more job security.

According to the Australian Government's new NERO Dashboard, demand for these roles has gone up notably over the last five years, meaning they're a pretty safe bet for the foreseeable future.  

The best jobs you can work from home

1. Human resource professional

Thanks to the popularity of remote hiring practices, digital recruitment tech and video conferencing tools, the HR sector has embraced working from home in a big way, making it an ideal industry to get into if you're craving more lifestyle flexibility. Just take a look at SEEK, where thousands of remote jobs are currently on offer across Australia.

Jobs in recruitment, workplace relations and policy also enjoy job security. Demand for human resource professionals has increased by 24% over the last five years, and that's only tipped to continue. 

Get into this in-demand role with one of these courses: 

• Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management)
• Graduate Certificate in Employment Relations
• Master of Human Resource Management and Employment Relations

2. ICT security specialist

It probably comes as no surprise that demand for information technology security specialists has boomed by 44% over the last five years. These professionals know how to protect an organisation's lifeblood—it's computer networks—from external breaches and cyber attacks. And they don't need to be on site to do so. 

As our software needs and cyber security threats become more sophisticated, employers are increasingly seeing the need for these highly specialised people. They're willing to let you work from wherever you like if you can offer this skillset. 

Tap into the ICT employment boom by studying:

• Defensive Cyber Security and Procedures
• Bachelor of Information Technology
• Graduate Certificate of Software Engineering

3. Advertising and marketing professional

Plenty of marketing professionals have been reaping the rewards of the work from home life since well before the pandemic.

Online collaboration tools like Miro, Microsoft Teams and Confluence make it easy to conduct customer research, mock up creative campaigns and meet with clients from the comfort of your own desk. Plus your skillset is so universally needed you can work anywhere from a large corporation to a small boutique agency (or even for yourself), which means you have the flexibility of choice when it comes to remote or hybrid roles. 

Demand for these gigs has gone up 34% since 2019. Given the diversity of career opportunities available, it's a future-proof choice for sure. 

Start your career with courses such as:

• Bachelor of Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations
• Bachelor of Media and Communication with a Major in Media Studies
• Graduate Certificate in Digital and Social Media

4. Healthcare professional

While you might not immediately think of healthcare as a role you can do 'remotely', there are services like counselling, occupational therapy and nutrition support that you can offer from a home workspace, which is great for your lifestyle and for client accessibility. Being able to help others from your house means your practice is on your terms, and you can leave your commute behind forever.

Demand for these three professions has risen by 18%, 63% and 45% respectively, making all safe career choices. 

Study pathways for health professionals include:

• Diploma of Nutrition
• Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling
• Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation

5. Writer

Writing is a specialist skill that business clients, agencies, websites, magazines and newspapers rely on to survive—so much so that demand for qualified writers and journalists has gone up 16% over the last five years.

In today’s world, this work is generally performed by freelancers rather than on-staff writers. Writing is also one of the easiest jobs to set up at home, and you can take advantage of multiple revenue streams rather than chasing full-time work with one client. 

Some courses that can enhance your options are:

• Bachelor of Arts (Professional Writing and Publishing)
• Bachelor of Communication
• Graduate Certificate of Editing and Electronic Publishing

How to find jobs where you can work from home

There are many work from home job listings on JobSearch, LinkedIn, Ethical Jobs, Indeed, and SEEK, where you can further search for your preferred industry and select full-time/part-time options. 

In addition, some dedicated remote-work websites can help your job search, such as:

• Freelancer, which posts jobs in all the above industries. If you become a member you can bid on the jobs you’re interested in, and you can also upload your resume for employers to find you based on your skills and experience.
• Flexjobs, which has hundreds of positions listed for Australian applicants, with options for freelancers and those who wish to be employed remotely. 
• Rachel’s List, which is specifically for marketing, writing and design-related freelance roles. Membership is required.

Joining career-specific groups on Facebook and LinkedIn can be a great way to find opportunities, too. Vacancies are often advertised there, and your network of colleagues or word-of-mouth can land you the job.

Please remember that if a position seems too good to be true, it probably is! Do your research on the company or individual you’ll be working for, and take caution if they don’t have a proper website, ABN, or other credentials.

You should never have to pay to apply for a specific job, to get an interview, or to accept a position. Though you may have to outlay some money for an excellent resume and to create a profile on freelance websites.