Initially driven by lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, as well as an increase in the number of self-employed individuals, remote work has become the norm, rather than the outlier. This has led to fewer people working in the main city centres throughout the week.
What’s more, even those who are unable to work from home all week are more likely to benefit from a hybrid working model, spending a portion of the week in the office and a portion of the week at home.
As a result, we have also seen a significant impact on city centre foot traffic, and it has impacted a lot of businesses.
Impact of Remote Work Shifted Foot Traffic in Outer London
A More Remote World
Everything from shopping to gaming and even gambling has made its way online. Online casinos, for example, are more convenient and easier to access than those in city centres, while modern technologies like cryptocurrency offer privacy and security.
The use of crypto is considered one of the main tips for playing without registration, and online gambling expert Matt Bastock indicates that this is one of the main reasons for its popularity.
It isn’t just casinos that have become prominent online, though, as many of us use the Internet to communicate, shop, and, especially in recent years, work.
On-Site Work Means Greater City Foot Traffic
While jobs can be found in remote and rural areas, major cities like London have traditionally seen the largest concentration of major employers.
Ten years ago, when remote work was still relatively unheard of, this meant foot traffic in London’s centres was significant, especially during the week, when most workers were at work.
The weekends still saw some foot traffic, with some businesses open during these hours, and also as a result of day visitors and holidaymakers.
Conversely, with many people living outside the centres and commuting in daily, areas just outside London would traditionally have very little weekday footfall.
People Shop While Or After Working
The concentration of people in city centres during the week meant that inner-city businesses, including retail and entertainment venues, saw considerable weekday business.
Many people would do their shopping or head to other local businesses while they were in the city, rather than heading to local stores when they get home or travelling into the city when they weren’t at work.
The Shift To Remote Work
The advent of the Internet had seen more people turn to remote working habits, but this became even more pronounced during national lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. People were not only allowed to work from home but were actively pushed to do so.
This saw millions of people’s weekly habits change. No longer did they make the commute from outer London areas into the city centre. Key workers did still make the journey, but the streets of London city centre were eerily quiet.
Once lockdowns were lifted, some workers made their way back into London proper. This was especially true for people in roles where remote work wasn’t possible. Retail and service workers, for example, were forced back to work on-site.
However, a lot of workers got the taste for remote work, preferring the convenience of working from home. It saved a lot of people precious hours of weekly travel, cutting their associated weekly costs at the same time. It also meant improved work-life balance.
While some businesses did demand employees return, many let employees continue to work from home, having seen that many people were just as productive while working from home, if not more so. While the streets of London have gotten busy again, they are still not as busy as they were ten years ago.
Demographic Changes
Generally, younger generations prefer to work on-site. This is likely because they prefer the socialisation opportunities. It may also be because many younger workers still live at home and struggle to find the space or the peace to work.
Less than a quarter of workers aged 25-29 work from home at least three days a week. By contrast, nearly 40% of those aged between 30 and 39 do so.
Salary levels also dictate how likely workers are to work from home. Earners with an average salary of £100,000 or more work from home more than 2.3 days per week, while those earning less than that figure work from home just 1.58 days a week. This also suggests that there is less disposable income walking around the city centre.
After Work Socialising Has Suffered
Socialising is another aspect of the London city centre that has changed. In some areas, after-work socialisation levels have dropped off throughout the week. In other areas, particularly in London, Thursday has become the new Friday.
Friday was once the end of the work week for the majority of people, but hybrid workers commonly work from home on a Friday. This has led to people finishing their on-site working week on a Thursday.
Local Businesses Set To Profit
London’s city centre has suffered as a result of this shift to remote work, as footfall has dropped. However, the city’s loss has proven to be a gain for smaller areas outside London: areas where workers live and commute from.
As people are more likely to work from home, businesses in these areas, especially local businesses, have seen more business.
Hybrid workers are more inclined to head to their local shops, rather than nip into the city while they’re there. It is also likely that delivery and online services have seen boosts in their business as customers do their shopping online and have items delivered to their doors.
This change is also likely to see people moving slightly further afield from the main London hubs. Remote workers are more inclined to make a slightly longer journey if they only have to travel into work one or two days every week.
