Working from home and regional development: case studies from UK cities

Taylor, Ian, Payne, Jonathan, Green, Anne, Wahba, Jackie, McCollum, David and Ghazaryan, Armine , Mcgowan, Teresa and Dey, Becki (eds.) (2025) Working from home and regional development: case studies from UK cities (ESRC Centre for Population Change Connecting Generations Policy Briefing Series, 86) ESRC Centre for Population Change 4pp.

Abstract

Working from home has grown sharply, with implications for UK regional inequalities. This policy briefing presents insights from interviews with key regional and local stakeholders from three representative cities: Glasgow, Birmingham and Sheffield.

The interview findings reveal that data on how working from home affects high-skilled labour mobility is limited, making planning difficult for businesses and cities. Working from home is seen as beneficial for recruitment and city office space changes, but there are concerns for city centres and public transport. For many interviewees, in-person interaction is still key for culture, innovation, and support. Sector composition means that some regions are considered more or less suited to remote working, while some may not be capitalising on opportunities presented by new working patterns.

Area attractiveness and transport links are seen as vital for drawing talent, with cities and regions keen to promote their natural and cultural assets. The ideal is high-skilled workers living and working in the same city-region to support local growth, but attracting talent alone isn’t seen as a solution to issues like low skills, inactivity, and poor job quality. It was widely acknowledged that addressing these issues needs cooperation between businesses, local government, and universities for effective development.

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Contributors

Author: Jackie Wahba

Editor: Teresa Mcgowan

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