Working from home isn’t significantly changing where people live
Hopes that working from home would help struggling UK regions attract high-skilled workers are not being realised, according to the findings of a new research project.
Working from home has surged since the Covid-19 pandemic, especially among older, high-skilled professionals in and around London and other major cities. However, a report and series of policy briefings by a team of researchers reveal this hasn’t significantly changed where people live, or helped spread talent more evenly across the country.
Led by Professor Jackie Wahba (OBE), of the University of 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载, and Dr David McCollum, of the University of St Andrews, both from the ESRC Centre for Population Change and Connecting Generations – the project was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Birmingham, De Montfort University, and University of the Arts London.
The researchers found most home workers still follow hybrid patterns, splitting time between home and office, and staying within reach of major employment hubs. This limits the potential to reduce regional inequality or boost growth outside south-east England.
The team’s findings show that among all workers in the UK just over 52 percent never work from home, but among high-skilled workers this figure is just 29 percent. The majority of those who work from home do so in a hybrid pattern, with at least some days spent in the office.
They also found that when high-skilled workers change where they live, housing needs tend to be the driver, rather than jobs. This suggests the idea that working from home will allow lagging regions to attract high earners, has yet to materialise, and in fact may not be realised at all.
The research project, co-funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, warns that without stronger policy action, working from home may even deepen regional divides.
The researchers analysed data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study and Labour Force Survey. Researchers also undertook interviews with stakeholders from local and regional government, businesses, and universities in Glasgow, Sheffield and Birmingham, three second-tier regional cities with distinct economic profiles and changing patterns of high-skilled employment.
Interviewees noted some advantages of working from home, such as wider recruitment opportunities, more efficient use of office space, and the ability to attract workers to their regions due to lower living costs. However, they raised concerns about quieter city centres, weaker workplace culture, and the limited ability to work from home in many sectors.
There was broad agreement that local challenges like low skills, economic inactivity, skills shortages, and poor job quality cannot be solved by attracting high-skilled workers alone. Interviewees stressed that local economies benefit most when high-skilled workers both live and work in the area. This underlines the importance of promoting and improving local assets and amenities to attract and retain talent.
Findings also highlight serious data gaps in understanding how working from home affects where people live and work – calling for more detailed national survey questions and local data, and further research on employer perspectives across sectors.
Professor Jackie Wahba said: “Working from home is now a normal part of working life, with the potential to change where and how people work. It could offer major benefits, giving both employers and workers more choice and flexibility. But to achieve this, we must tackle key obstacles to residential mobility.
“It was widely believed that working from home would let high-skilled workers move further from their employers, opening up opportunities for less wealthy areas. But so far, it remains most common among higher earners in a few sectors, mostly near London and other major cities.”
She continued: “There is also little evidence on the net economic impact for local areas of these changes in working patterns. We need better data on who is working from home, how often, and in what roles. This will help policymakers give targeted support to more regions. Investing in transport links, fast broadband, schools, healthcare, green spaces, cultural venues, and affordable housing are as important as providing flexible work options in drawing and retaining skilled workers.
“Working from home isn’t yet bridging the gap between regions. Policymakers, businesses, and local leaders need to act to ensure that job flexibility does not exacerbate inequality but is harnessed to support real, long-term regional growth.”
The full report ‘Working from home: Impacts on residential mobility and spatial inequality’ is available here and policy briefing summaries are available here .