Remote Work Fails to Bridge Regional Divide, Study Finds
Working from home has not led to a more equal spread of jobs or skills across the UK, new research suggests.
Despite promises by the previous Conservative government to 'level up' the UK and the new Labour leadership's Plan for Change, the distribution of high-skilled workers remains heavily skewed towards London, the southeast, and other urban centres.
A
Professor Jackie Wahba, one of the study's authors, said: '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.'
Same Cities, New Commutes
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most people who worked from home were based in London and the southeast. That hasn't changed much, even though remote and hybrid work have become more common.
Scotland has seen a notable rise, but overall, London still leads in jobs that can be done from home.
The report found that three types of places have become working-from-home 'hotspots' since the pandemic: areas with office-style jobs, places with good transport and cheaper housing, and scenic rural spots.
Related Stories
5/6/2025
5/12/2025
But instead of boosting smaller towns or remote regions, the shift has led to a 'donut effect' in which people are leaving city centres for suburbs and commuter towns, hollowing out inner cities but still staying near job hubs.
While people are commuting less often, they're often travelling further when they do, meaning they still need to live near large cities. Long-distance commuting has replaced full relocation.
'Geography still matters,' the report said, warning that digital connectivity alone cannot substitute for the economic and social gravity of major cities.
Government Aims to Spread Jobs
The day before the study was published, the government announced plans to move thousands of civil service jobs out of London.
Labour's Rewire the State programme will shift 12,000 roles to cities like Manchester, Aberdeen, Birmingham, and Glasgow by 2030.
Half of all senior civil servants will be based outside the capital, and new hubs focused on digital, AI, and energy will open.
'By relocating thousands of Civil Service roles we will not only save taxpayers money, we will make this Government one that better reflects the country it serves,' said Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden in a statement.
The previous Conservative government's Levelling Up agenda also aimed to spread opportunity more equally across the UK.
But a report by the
By the end of 2023, just £3.7 billion had been handed out to councils by the government. This raised concerns that the money was not reaching communities fast enough or making a real difference.
Meanwhile, Reform UK—following local election gains—
The party is pushing for mandatory office attendance for civil servants, an end to remote work subsidies, and incentives for companies to revive in-person workforces.
Deputy leader Richard Tice
'To make Britain work, we must make work pay. If it pays more to stay at home, don't be surprised what happens,' he
Remote Work Not a Quick Fix
Although many people now work from home at least some of the time, fully remote jobs are still rare, researchers found. Hybrid work is more common, especially for skilled professionals.
The study found little proof that this is helping to rebalance the economy. In fact, it may be making things worse.
The study also found that people working from home move house less than those who don't. And when they do move, it's usually to save money on housing, not for work.
Researchers said that decisions about remote work should be based on strong evidence. Although interest in remote and hybrid work is growing, current data are limited and many important trends are still unclear.
The study recommended better data collection to track where people are moving, how easy it is to find jobs, and how hybrid work is affecting communities, especially in less wealthy parts of the UK.
Ultimately, while flexible working is here to stay, the study warned that it is no silver bullet for fixing the UK's deep-rooted regional divides.
PA Media contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
42 minutes ago
- New York Post
Life Time athletic club opening at 452 Fifth Ave.
The owners of 425 Fifth Avenue, aka 10 Bryant Park between East 39th and 40th streets, landed another big catch at their tower where Amazon recently signed for 330,000 square feet — and it all started with a game of pickleball. In one of Manhattan's largest retail-space deals this year, burgeoning 'athletic urban country club' Life Time signed for 52,000 square feet on four levels, including in the soon to be vacated, 17,000 square-foot Staples store. It will open in early 2027 behind a prominent Fifth Avenue entrance. The Life Time deal all but completes the leasing picture at the 865,000 address, which consists of three formerly separate structures that include the 10-story Knox Building. Advertisement 4 425 Fifth Avenue, aka 10 Bryant Park between East 39th and 40th streets, center. Google Maps Life Time has 180 clubs in the US and Canada. Chief property development officer Parham Javaheri said 10 Bryant Park checked all the boxes for what he wanted in Midtown. 'We want to serve both our residential and commercial cores,' he said. 'Although the location is obviously more commercial, there's a lot of residential growth nearby as well.' Advertisement Life Time, founded by chairman and CEO Bahram Akradi, has seven other Manhattan locations, two in Brooklyn, and another coming at the supertall Brooklyn Tower condo project. Javaheri said, 'We want to grow methodically. Meaning, we want destinations that let us stay true to what Life Time is, and they require a lot of space.' In fact, several others in the city are even larger than at 10 Bryant Park with 80,000 square feet each. The 10 Bryant Park edition will boast a luxurious, co-ed 'wet' suite with steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs and cold plunges; a workout floor with best-in-class cardio and resistance-training equipment; a recovery space with massage chairs and body-compression technology; and a half-dozen boutique-style studios for group fitness formats. 4 A rendering of the Life Time athletic club location at 10 Bryant Park, which is expected to open in early 2027. LIFE TIME Advertisement Eli Elefant, CEO of 10 Bryant Park landlord Property & Building Corp., said, 'We had the privilege or repositioning the building in a post-Covid world. It gave us the ability to reimagine what a commercial building can look like in a challenging environment.' Elefant said, 'When we lost our big bank tenant, HSBC, we got all their antiquated space back. Our thought was to lean heavily into the tech sphere and market the former bank space to big users and we were ultimately successful.' With the Amazon deal, the 30-story tower's office floors are 100% leased. What he called a 'blank slate' after HSBC decided to move to The Spiral in Hudson Yards also suggested the need to deliver what Amazon and many other 21st Century tenants want: a spectacular 'wellness' amenity. 'We didn't just want to build a gym,' Elefant chuckled. 4 Eli Elefant, center, the CEO of 10 Bryant Park owner Property & Building Corp., and Life Time chief property development officer Parham Javaheri, right, bonded over their vision during a pickleball game. LIFE TIME Advertisement Introduced by brokers, he and Javaheri first met on Oct. 17, 2023. 'We talked about a lifestyle-physical concept,' Elefant said. 'I said, 'Why don't we meet for a workout?'' Javaheri recalled, 'We played pickleball at 1 Penn and at Sky on West 42nd Street. Eli told us what his vision was for a strong amenity. We formed a good friendship.' 4 A rendering of the interior of the announced Life Time athletic club at 10 Bryant Park. LIFE TIME The competition 'was a great way for him to humiliate me,' Elefant laughed. 'But I'm a firm believed in personal synergies' in a changed real estate market that needs to be 'less sharp-elbows than collaborative, although I'm not sure everyone got the message.' Atlantic Retail's Joe Mastromonaco represented Life Time and JLL's Patrick Smith acted for the ownership. Property & Building's parent company owns 14 million square feet of buildings in Israel, but 10 Bryant Park is the only one in New York it wholly owns although it has discreet investments at others.
Business Upturn
3 hours ago
- Business Upturn
ELV FRAUD ALERT: Elevance Health, Inc. Investors are Reminded of Ongoing Securities Fraud Class Action — Contact BFA Law by July 11 Legal Deadline (NYSE:ELV)
NEW YORK, June 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE: ELV) and certain of the Company's senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Elevance you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting Investors have until July 11, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors who purchased Elevance common stock. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and is captioned Miller v. Elevance Health, Inc., et al. , No. 25-cv-0092. Why was Elevance Sued for Securities Fraud? Elevance provides health insurance plans. This includes contracting with states to administer Medicaid benefits. States routinely review Medicaid eligibility, but during COVID, the federal government paused this process. The pause ended in 2023, and states resumed redetermining Medicaid eligibility. During the relevant period, Elevance represented that it was closely monitoring the cost trends associated with the redetermination process and that the rates Elevance was negotiating were sufficient to address the risk profiles of those patients staying on Medicaid. As alleged, in truth, the redeterminations caused a significant increase in the acuity and utilization of Elevance's Medicaid members. What's more, the shift occurred to a degree that was not reflected in Elevance's rate negotiations or in its financial guidance for 2024. The Stock Declines as the Truth is Revealed On July 17, 2024, Elevance stated that it was now 'expecting second-half utilization to increase in Medicaid' and that it was 'seeing signs of increased utilization across the broader Medicaid population.' On this news, the price of Elevance stock declined $32.21 per share, or nearly 6%, from $553.14 per share on July 16, 2024, to $520.93 per share on July 17, 2024. Then, on October 17, 2024, Elevance announced its Q3 2024 financial results, revealing that its missed consensus earnings per share ('EPS') expectations by $1.33, or 13.7%, 'due to elevated medical costs in [its] Medicaid business.' On this news, the price of Elevance stock declined $52.61 per share, or nearly 11%, from $496.96 per share on October 16, 2024, to $444.35 per share on October 17, 2024. Click here if you suffered losses: What Can You Do? If you invested in Elevance you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: Or contact:Ross Shikowitz [email protected] 212-789-3619
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Mass. considers scrapping religious exemptions for vaccinations
Advertisement In Massachusetts, parents can write a letter stating that a vaccine conflicts with their 'sincerely held religious belief' in order to exempt their children from vaccination requirements needed to enroll in public schools. State Rep. Andy Vargas and State Sen. Edward Kennedy both Advocates who oppose the exemptions say that religious exceptions are being misused by parents who are hesitant about vaccinating their children. Advertisement 'It's definitely a general pattern of people abusing the exemption, especially since But parents across the state came to Beacon Hill to testify in support of religious exemptions at a hearing of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Public Health. They said exemptions were essential to their first amendment right to practice their religion and to honor the concept of informed consent. 'I'm curious why diversity, equity and inclusion is not being applied to those with sincerely held religious beliefs,' Lisa Ottaviano said while testifying at the hearing. Some speakers at the hearing said they were uncomfortable with the components of certain vaccines. 'We should not be forced into violating our moral conscience by injecting products developed from aborted fetuses such as the MMR, the varicella vaccines,' said Nicholas Kottenstette, a Catholic father of four from Sterling, Massachusetts. Vaccines don't contain fetal cells, Others testifying against the bill said they wanted to protect religious exemptions because they felt that accountability measures for vaccine manufacturers were insufficient. 'I started meeting more people whose children had reactions to vaccines that were adverse, so I started doing my own research and learnt a lot of concerning things like how pharmaceutical companies have legal protection against being sued,' Maureen Trettel, a grandmother from Milford said. Advertisement Similar bills have been filed in previous sessions, so the debate over religious exemptions for vaccines in Massachusetts has been going on since at least 2019, well before the COVID-19 pandemic that made vaccines a polarizing issue. The elevation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has drawn even more interest to the issue. Last week, Kennedy Logan Beyer, an aspiring pediatrician pursuing an MD/PhD degree in public health at Harvard, spoke in favor of eliminating religious exemptions. While volunteering at a Special Olympics event, Beyer spoke to a parent who told her that she was worried that vaccines caused autism. The mother told Beyer that she was planning to apply for a religious exemption because she was unsure about vaccinating her children. 'She told me that her family 'didn't really go to church' but you don't have to prove anything to get the exemption,' Beyer said. Beyer said that this incident made her concerned about growing vaccine hesitancy and inspired her to testify. 'At the hearing, so many parents said they just want to do what's best for their children … I love that instinct,' Beyer said, 'But I know that passing policies that help facilitate more kids getting vaccinated is really what can keep children safe.' Advertisement Harrison, mother of cancer-survivor Miranda, also understands the instinct of parents on the other side of the issue, even if she disagrees with them. In addition to Miranda, Harrison has twin six-year old boys who both have autism. 'I can know the grief and shock that parents experience when they find out their kid has autism. I get it,' Harrison said. 'But vaccines are not to blame ... autism is a result of Around 16,000 children in Massachusetts are unvaccinated without claiming an exemption — a group that the state describes as 'noncompliant students' in its documents. Many parents in opposition to the bills questioned why the bills were trained just on the 2,000 students who did have religious exemptions. 'I'm curious why the Legislature is targeting the small percentage of children with religious exemptions and ignoring the huge gap population,' said Ottaviano testifying at the hearing. Advocates for the bills said the new provisions that mandate that all schools must report vaccination numbers to the state's department of public health would address these noncompliant students as well. 'That's what the data reporting is about, we want to make sure that schools have accurate records,' Blair of Massachusetts Families for Vaccines said. 'If there is a gap … they should reach out to those students to find out why the records are not on file.' Speakers in favor of the bills were focused on eliminating religious exemptions in order to protect children who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons like allergies or problems with their immune systems. 'It's actually those people … that we're really doing this for, because they're the ones who depend on herd immunity,' Blair said. Advertisement Angela Mathew can be reached at
