Stop remote: hybrid work format is growing in popularity in Russia
Experts predict the emergence of a hybrid work format as the main trend in the Russian labor market in 2026. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1 million office vacancies have been posted, 101 thousand for remote work and 75 thousand with a hybrid schedule. However, the attitude towards remote work is becoming more flexible — more and more companies are ready to transfer employees to a remote format upon request. Whether there are differences in salaries for remote and office workers, as well as what the situation will be like this year, is in the Izvestia article.
Hybrid work format in 2026: the main trend of the labor market
Experts believe that in 2026, employers will choose hybrid as the main work model for their employees.
— In 2026, employers will combine formats depending on business objectives, team functions and the labor market situation. In this situation, the hybrid looks like the most stable work model," said Boris Kurbatov, founder and CEO of Dream Job.
In 2025, udalenka and hybrid were mentioned in 6.4% of reviews as a significant advantage of the employer, while the office environment appeared in 10.6% of comments, Kurbatov said. This indicates that the value of the physical workspace remains while increasing the demand for flexibility.
The market has gone through a dramatic transformation and moved to a more sustainable model. For employees, flexibility has become part of the basic expectations, especially in the context of competition for qualified personnel, and for companies, it is a tool for adapting and retaining specialists.
— The key trend of 2026 is to find a balance between flexibility for employees and efficiency of processes for businesses. Remote work is becoming more and more in demand and accessible for various professions," Roman Gubanov, Director of Development at Avito Work, said in an interview with Izvestia.
In the period from December 2025 to February 2026, logisticians had the highest dynamics in the number of vacancies marked "work from home" (+65%), while the average salary offered in this position was 88,026 rubles per month. The top 3 also included seamstresses (+20%, 53,889 rubles/month) and curators (+14%, 42,500 rubles/month), Gubanov noted.
Engineers (101,912 rubles/month, +19% year-on-year) and designers (92,619 rubles/month, +15%) had the highest average salaries offered in vacancies marked work from home.
The office work format retains its leadership in the Russian labor market
In general, the structure of the Russian recruitment market remains stable: the vast majority of vacancies still involve a workplace presence, while the share of remote offers remains significantly lower.
So, since the beginning of 2026, more than 1 million vacancies have been placed in Russia with office work, over 101 thousand with remote work and more than 75 thousand with a hybrid format. The number of offers with office employment exceeds the remote ones by almost 10 times, the HeadHunter press service told Izvestia.
At the same time, business attitudes towards remote employment are becoming more flexible. According to the data hh.ru more than two thirds of employers form a position on the remote format, depending on the specific employee, his tasks and role. About 38% of companies say they are ready to transfer employees to remote work at their request, while only 26% of employers retain a negative attitude towards this format.
Companies are increasingly combining different employment formats based on business objectives and the labor market situation. This approach allows you to take into account the individual characteristics of employees and at the same time maintain the effectiveness of the teams.
The number of remote jobs in Russia is not increasing
There are no prerequisites for a significant increase in the share of fully remote employment in 2026, according to the experts' analysis.
Remote work remains important, but it is more often used for individual functions and categories of specialists. Companies use this format as an additional option, rather than as the main model of labor organization, Boris Kurbatov believes.
According to Superjob, by the end of February 2026, the share of vacancies with remote and hybrid formats is 10-11% in the labor market as a whole and 33-35% in the field of information technology. In the IT field, the remote format remains the most common, due to the specifics of tasks and the ability to perform them outside the office.
Is there a difference in money between working remotely and in an office
Experts believe that the format of work itself is not a key factor in income level and is determined by the professional characteristics of a specialist.
So, according to the hh.ru The median salary at a remote location is 80.8 thousand rubles, while in an office it is 84.8 thousand rubles. The difference remains insignificant and depends primarily on the qualifications, experience and level of responsibility of the employee.
In a number of areas, the distance format demonstrates comparable income indicators, and the differences are more often associated with additional conditions and compensation.
What format do employees choose in Russia?
The issue of work format is becoming an important element of personnel policy. According to Superjob, if an employer completely refuses to be removed, 34% of employees would rather agree to return to the office, while 36% would prefer to change jobs.
This confirms that flexibility is becoming a significant factor in choosing an employer and affects staff retention.
Psychology of work: why the hybrid is becoming more comfortable
Psychologists note that the most balanced option for work is a hybrid format that allows you to combine teamwork with greater autonomy and flexibility. It helps to maintain a balance between work and personal life.
According to psychologist Anna Dodonova, the office can reduce tension due to faster feedback and lively interaction between employees, which contributes to the formation of a sense of team and simplifies the solution of work tasks. At the same time, high density of communications, noise and lack of personal space can, on the contrary, increase the pressure.
— It is in personal interaction that group dynamics are more pronounced: competition for influence, informal coalitions and the struggle for status. For example, influence groups may form around individual employees or managers, determining whose opinion will be heard when discussing decisions," the specialist points out.
Speaking about remote work, the expert notes that employees often face blurring of the boundaries between work and personal life, the feeling of an "endless working day" and a decrease in social inclusion. In such conditions, a person has to independently build a regime and control the load.
How to maintain a work-life balance
Experts point out that the work format itself is not a direct source of stress — the organization of the work environment plays a crucial role.
Psychologist Dodonova recommends that when working remotely, pay special attention to building boundaries between professional and personal life in order to avoid the effect of an "endless working day."
According to her, a clear organization of work plays an important role: a fixed start and end of work, a dedicated workspace, as well as rituals that help to "close" working hours — for example, a short walk or switching to other activities. It is believed that such actions help the psyche to separate work processes from personal life and facilitate switching between roles.
In addition, the expert advises to control communication: to determine time intervals for discussions with colleagues in advance and, if possible, not to respond to work messages outside of this framework. This allows you to create a feeling of a completed working day and restore the boundaries that are set by the environment itself in the office, and when working remotely require conscious formation on the part of the employee.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
