State Farm Hiring 3,400 Employees, Including Some Fully Remote Workers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Don't delete your Zoom app anytime soon. More and more people say their employer plans to let them work from home part of the week, even after the pandemic.
Morning Insider Tim McNicholas even found a major insurance company hiring remote workers in our area.
The morning commute, that finicky keyboard, your nosy desk neighbor. If you're ready to leave that all in the past, then State Farm talent acquisition specialist Myron Kyser wants to hear from you.
"We found that there is an appetite out there for folks to work from home and so we do have some opportunities that we've recently introduced," Kyser said.
The insurance giant is hiring 3,400 people across the country, including 720 in Illinois.
Most of the local jobs are hybrid, but 100 are fully remote—permanently.
"There's no intention of bringing the folks we hire for those roles into the office," Kyser said.
"It's not surprising to me," said Steven Davis, a University of Chicago Economics Professor who has studied work from home trends during the pandemic. "Employers are gradually becoming more accustomed or comfortable with the notion that many of their employees are going to work from home part of the week."
Davis conducts a monthly survey asking remote workers, among other questions, how often their boss will have them work from home after the pandemic.
The average number has been climbing since January of last year, and is now over two days per week.
"There's no chance we're going back to the pre-pandemic norm. Too much has been learned, too many investments have been made in figuring out how to make it all work," Davis said.
State Farm's hybrid openings include customer care specialists and claim specialists, both starting at $19.25 per hour. Among the fully remote jobs: part-time claim associate starts at $17.25 per hour.
"I think that's something we could continue to evaluate to roll out maybe beyond what we're currently looking at," Kyser said.
And they're far from the only employer willing to embrace some empty office chairs.
State Farm will host a virtual career fair about those jobs both this and next Thursday.
People interested in applying for any of the State Farm hybrid or in-person jobs can register to attend the "New Year, New You in 2022 Career Fair," scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Those interested in fully remote positions at State Farm can register to attend the "State Farm Work from Home Opportunities Fair," scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon.
You can learn more about available job opportunities by searching StateFarm.com/careers.