Although countries traditionally associated with a flexible lifestyle do not always offer a significant share of remote vacancies, there is a growth in such jobs observed in South Africa. However, a new global analysis showed that South Africa has the lowest percentage of remote job vacancies among the analyzed African countries, even with the country's active efforts to attract foreign remote workers.
The study, conducted by Remitly as part of its 2026 Remote Jobs Index, analyzed about 7.8 million job postings on LinkedIn in May. According to this research, only 17.6% of vacancies in South Africa were posted as remote, which is the lowest figure among the African countries studied. This is significantly lower than the figures for Ghana (19.5%) and Egypt (21.8%).
At the opposite end of the ranking were countries where the share of remote vacancies was very high: Equatorial Guinea at about 98.5%, the Republic of Congo at 95.4%, and Cabo Verde at 94.7%. Sierra Leone showed 92.4%, and Ethiopia ranked among the world leaders in remote work markets with a rate of 83.5%.
South Africa surpasses the US and UK
South Africa's position at the bottom of the African ranking does not mean it is the worst place in the world to look for remote work. The 17.6% figure was higher than that of several much larger economies. For instance, only 8.4% of vacancies in the US were remote, while in the UK this figure was 10.1%, and in Australia—7.6%.
In the global survey, Germany showed 6%, France—4.7%, and the Netherlands—4.6%. China demonstrated the lowest percentage in the global study, with only 2.7% of LinkedIn vacancies marked as remote. Overall, Remitly found 31 countries where more than half of the LinkedIn vacancies were remote. These results also highlight that countries known for their flexible culture do not necessarily have a large share of remote vacancies; for example, Thailand had only 7.9% of such listings, and Singapore—6.6%.
The real situation
Separate recruitment data in South Africa indicates that remote work remains a relatively small part of the local labor market. According to Pnet data for 2025 on labor market trends, about 3.6% of vacancies on this platform offered remote or hybrid work formats. Anya Bates, Head of Data at Pnet, described 2023 and 2024 as 'years of big return to the office,' when finding remote vacancies became harder, and they were often concentrated among highly sought-after IT specialists.
Nevertheless, signs of recovery have appeared. Pnet found that the share of remote and hybrid vacancies increased by 0.5 percentage points between March and September 2025, as employers began offering flexibility across a wider range of positions. According to Pnet, this shift occurs against the backdrop of many South African professionals placing increasing importance on balance and flexibility when changing careers. Employers realize that flexibility is not just a bonus but a powerful tool for attracting and retaining top talent.
Growth at the local level
However, according to the Pnet Labor Market Trends Report for July 2026, remote employment in South Africa reached an all-time high in the first half of 2026. The number of remote opportunities grew by 28% compared to the first half of 2025 and by 41% over two years. Anya Bates, Head of Data at Pnet, noted: 'Remote employment has established itself as a permanent feature of the labor market as organizations continue to digitize their operations and implement new ways of working.'
Strong growth was observed in the business and management, sales and administration, office and support sectors, reflecting the shift to remote models in professional services and business operations. Furthermore, in the marketing, design, and media sectors, the number of remote opportunities doubled since 2024, highlighting how digital working methods create new prospects for creative and client-oriented professions.