4 ways remote working will affect urbanisation

We are going through the biggest shift in the workplace since the industrial revolution when we walked off the fields and into the factories.

As jobs transitioned from agriculture to manufacturing and then into the services industry, people were drawn into population centres by the lure of job opportunities.

Urbanisation has catapulted countries forward over the last century, resulting in the world powers we see today, and continues to do the same in developing countries. However, most people are all too aware of the downsides of this phenomenon - reduction in quality of life due to high living expenses, multi-hour commutes, lack of living space etc

We are now seeing the next big step where technology is decoupling our place of work from well...work.

People are realising the arbitrage that is now possible where they can have a better quality of life without sacrificing their careers and their bank balances.

As employers continue to react to worker demand for remote working, wide-reaching effects on the geographic distribution of wealth, talent and innovation will occur.

Remote working will lead to:

1. More money spent in local economies
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2. People becoming more engaged in local communities
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3. Demand for new types of infrastructure in local centres, such as co-working spaces
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4. Less brain drain from these regions in metropolitan areas

As with all systemic changes in the way the world works, there will be winners and losers. Employers that acknowledge this long-tail change will reap the benefits and not be left high and dry in their city skyscrapers.

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