Workers happy to commute for longer as job specs narrow

There has been a rise in the distance people are prepared to travel to work, according to a national recruiter , with 20% of its candidates accepting jobs with a daily commute exceeding 100 miles.

A 100-mile round trip a day to and from the office equates to over 700 hours a year commuting, with the national average just 200, as recorded by the Office for National Statistics .

“The tightening up of the professional employment market in recent years has led to many employees being more willing to compromise their personal and home life to secure a new role.

“For example, commuting from the Midlands into London is not unusual, or willing to become weekly commuters. We have also placed candidates who commute daily from Derby to Milton Keynes and Leicester to Suffolk, distances which would have been out of the question five years ago.

“From the client’s perspective, businesses are becoming even more specific regarding the individuals that they’re looking for in terms of both sector background and specific skill set, that they are willing to look ever further afield for the ‘perfect’ candidate.”