Remote working: over 60% of millennials consider moving due to greater workplace flexibility

Almost two-thirds of young workers have considered relocating to another part of the country as the potential to work remotely has meant they are not tied to living in the vicinity of their employer, new research carried out on behalf of Leitrim County Council has found.

The survey, which involved interviews with 1,000 respondents carried out in March found 22 per cent of them to be fully remote and high levels of approval among those in a position to stay away from the office in the aftermath of the pandemic.

More than half (56 per cent) of those working remotely said it was having a positive effect on their work-life balance and 60 per cent said they were better able to switch off at the end of the day.

Amid pushback from some employers who have raised concerns over a perceived decline in collaboration in situations where people are not attending the workplace together on a regular basis, 85 per cent of respondents to the survey said working remotely had resulted in an increase in their productivity.

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Positive impact

People also said they were better off financially when they worked remotely with 75 per cent reporting a decline in their spending and 83 per cent saying that not having to go out to work on a daily basis had had a positive impact on their standard of living.

Among millennials, categorised as those aged 25 to 35, 61 per cent said they were considering a move to another part of the country due to the greater levels of flexibility around attendance at workplaces.

A study by the University of Galway two years ago found almost 30 per cent of respondents across all age groups were considering a move or had already completed one based on their experience of remote working. Leitrim was one of the counties to feature prominently among possible destinations.

Commenting on the new survey, Colm McGrath, president of the Carrick-on-Shannon Chamber of Commerce, said “remote work provides the perfect opportunity to escape the city and work from a calmer setting, without the hustle of the city, long commutes and city congestion. It’s our view that this trend will increase into 2023 and beyond, as millennials opt to raise families in areas where they can afford housing.”