If you’re looking for a remote job in 2026, AI isn’t the only area seeing strong growth. New hiring data from Online.jobs shows that employers are also expanding their search for sales, digital marketing, customer support and virtual assistant professionals.
Sales saw the biggest jump, with job listings on Online.jobs increasing from 6 to 28 compared with the previous three-month period. Digital Marketing listings jumped 260%, while AI Engineer and AI and Data Science listings each increased by 160%.
The figures reflect listing activity on Online.jobs specifically and should not be interpreted as a measure of the entire remote job market. Within the platform’s listings, the numbers point to a remote job market that is becoming more diverse. While demand for specialized technical skills continues to grow, companies are also hiring remote workers for roles directly connected to revenue, customer relationships and everyday business operations.
Roman Bukshak, Head of Growth at Online.jobs, says the figures show that remote hiring is expanding beyond the technical roles most often associated with remote work.
“The latest Online.jobs data shows that remote hiring is becoming more diverse, with growth extending beyond the technical roles that have traditionally been associated with remote work. The increase across Sales, Digital Marketing, AI, Customer Support and Virtual Assistant positions shows that companies are using remote hiring to fill a wider range of business needs. This points to a remote workforce that combines specialized expertise with the commercial and operational skills businesses rely on every day.”
The analysis is based on job listings published on Online.jobs and compares the latest three-month period with the previous three-month period.
Key Points
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Sales job listings increased from 6 to 28, a 366.7% increase.
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Digital Marketing listings increased from 5 to 18, a 260% increase.
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AI Engineer listings increased from 5 to 13, a 160% increase.
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AI and Data Science listings increased from 5 to 13, also a 160% increase.
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Customer Support listings grew by 140%, from 5 to 12.
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Virtual Assistant listings increased by 130.8%, from 13 to 30.
Sales Is the Fastest-Growing Remote Job Category
Sales recorded the strongest growth among the remote job categories analyzed on Online.jobs.
Listings increased from 6 in the previous three-month period to 28 in the latest period, representing a 366.7% increase.
That puts Sales ahead of both technology and marketing categories and shows that growth in the platform’s remote job listings is not limited to technical roles. Companies are also looking for professionals who can support customer acquisition, sales activity and revenue growth while working remotely.
For employers, remote sales teams can help them reach customers across different markets while expanding recruitment beyond candidates who live near their offices.
Digital Marketing Jobs More Than Triple
Digital Marketing recorded the second-largest increase among the highlighted remote job categories on Online.jobs.
Listings rose from 5 to 18, representing 260% growth between the two three-month periods.
The increase in listings reflects the growing importance of digital skills as companies rely on online channels for customer acquisition, brand visibility and communication.
Sales and Digital Marketing also share an important characteristic: both functions can be performed across geographic boundaries. That makes them particularly well suited to remote teams and gives employers access to a wider pool of potential candidates.
AI Jobs Continue to Gain Ground
AI-related roles are also becoming a larger part of the remote hiring landscape reflected in Online.jobs listings.
AI Engineer listings increased from 5 to 13, while AI and Data Science listings also rose from 5 to 13. Both categories recorded 160% growth.
While these categories still have fewer listings than Sales and Virtual Assistant roles, their rapid growth points to rising activity for professionals with specialized skills in AI, data and related technologies on the platform.
For businesses, access to a broader talent pool can become increasingly important when specialized technical skills are difficult to find within traditional local hiring markets.
Remote Hiring Growth Goes Beyond Technology
The growth in remote job listings on Online.jobs is not limited to AI and other specialized technology positions.
Customer Support listings increased from 5 to 12, representing 140% growth, while Virtual Assistant listings rose from 13 to 30, an increase of 130.8%.
These increases show that companies are using remote hiring across a broad range of business functions represented on the platform. Alongside technical and data-focused positions, businesses are expanding their remote teams in customer-facing, administrative and support roles.
That makes the 2026 remote job market represented on Online.jobs broader than the current focus on AI might suggest.
What These Trends Mean for Remote Job Seekers
The fastest-growing categories on Online.jobs can give job seekers a useful indication of where listing activity is increasing on the platform.
Sales, Digital Marketing and AI-related positions stand out for their growth, while Customer Support and Virtual Assistant roles are also expanding rapidly.
However, a rise in job listings does not automatically mean that candidates will face less competition. Application numbers can vary significantly across remote job categories, showing that strong activity in listings does not necessarily mean less competition among candidates.
For job seekers, this means looking beyond the number of available jobs. A growing category may offer more opportunities on the platform, but candidates still need to consider the skills employers are requesting and how many other applicants are competing for each position.
If you’re ready to explore current remote opportunities, you can browse available positions on Online.jobs.
What the Growth Means for Employers
For employers, the latest trends highlight the value of having access to a broader talent pool.
Remote hiring allows companies to search for candidates beyond their immediate geographic area. This can be particularly valuable for specialized positions such as AI Engineer and AI and Data Science roles, where the right skills may be harder to find in a local market.
At the same time, growth in Sales, Digital Marketing, Customer Support and Virtual Assistant listings shows that businesses are using remote hiring to build teams across a wide range of core functions.
Roman Bukshak, Head of Growth at Online.jobs, adds:
“For businesses hiring for specialized positions, remote recruitment can remove some of the geographic limitations of traditional hiring. It can give companies access to specialized skills that may be difficult to find locally, while also helping them build teams around their business needs. At the same time, the growth across Sales, Digital Marketing, Customer Support and administrative roles shows that remote work is increasingly being used across core business functions, not just for specialized technical positions.”
Rather than using remote work only for specialized technical positions, companies are increasingly incorporating distributed workers into sales, marketing, customer service and administrative operations.
For businesses looking to expand their remote teams, Online.jobs provides a way to connect with candidates beyond traditional geographic boundaries.
A More Diverse Remote Job Market Is Taking Shape
The latest figures from Online.jobs point to a remote job market that is becoming more varied.
Sales recorded the largest increase, followed by Digital Marketing, while AI-related roles continued to grow at a significant rate. Customer Support and Virtual Assistant positions also recorded triple-digit growth, showing that remote opportunities represented on the platform are expanding across both specialized and everyday business functions.
The data suggests that the future of remote work will not be defined by a single job category. Instead, the Online.jobs figures show that companies are posting remote positions across a mix of technical, commercial and operational roles.
For remote workers, the fastest-growing categories offer a useful snapshot of where listing activity is increasing on Online.jobs. For employers, they highlight the potential value of being able to access talent beyond traditional geographic boundaries.
As remote work continues to evolve in 2026, opportunities represented on Online.jobs are growing across technology, business and digital roles rather than being concentrated in a single industry or profession.
Data source: Online.jobs job listing data. Figures compare the latest three-month period with the previous three-month period.