As evident from Table 1, many of these private sector workers are involved in high valued sectors such as “Information and Communication Activities”, “Financial and Insurance Activities”, “Professional, Technical and Scientific Activities” and “Administrative and Support Service Activities”. It should be noted that the workers that have been identified as having jobs that are capable of operating remotely relate to residents who live and work within their own regions as well as residents that commute to work in other regions. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, these type of private sector workers were rigidly tied to their physical place of work a factor which was – amongst other issues – contributing to traffic congestion, house price and rental inflation in certain areas, high greenhouse gas emissions from car usage and population imbalances across communities. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has showed that these type of jobs are capable of operating remotely, highlighting the potential of developing additional co-working hubs in strategic locations across all of our regions, with the view of facilitating these type of workers in the long term and thereby assisting policy makers in addressing the above challenges. If possible, a sizeable proportion of these private sector workers may prefer to work from their own homes or from company offices that comply with public health guidelines. However, whether it be due to a lack of broadband, a desire to avoid long commutes or personal factors, a reasonable proportion of these private sector workers may wish to utilise co-working hubs as an alternative option. The “Regional Co-Working Analysis” will also inform policy makers of the name, location and type of co- working hubs that currently exist in Ireland, as of September 2020. To achieve this, the three Regional Assemblies of Ireland have – through desktop research and consultations with Local Enterprise Offices – identified the actual number of co-working hubs for each local authority area, as of September 2020. Local authorities are grouped by their respective NUTS 2 regions.
PRIOR TO THE OUTBREAK OF COVID-19, THESE TYPE OF PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS WERE RIGIDLY TIED TO THEIR PHYSICAL PLACE OF WORK A FACTOR WHICH WAS – AMONGST OTHER ISSUES – CONTRIBUTING TO TRAFFIC CONGESTION, HOUSE PRICE AND RENTAL INFLATION IN CERTAIN AREAS, HIGH GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM CAR USAGE AND POPULATION IMBALANCES ACROSS COMMUNITIES.
It is accepted that “Regional Co-Working Analysis” will not provide the complete picture on remote working. Further areas of analysis and research are required. Taking this into account, the “Regional Co-Working Analysis” identifies eight areas of consideration. These will identify how gaps in information can be addressed, commence a discussion on actions that could be taken and help to establish an evidence- based approach to help progress remote working. By addressing these areas, policymakers can build a better picture of how to utilise remote working in a manner which could facilitate effective economic development across all of our regions, allowing for an inclusive economic recovery. It will also assist policymakers in developing additional co-working hubs across all of our regions, allowing high skilled workers to live and work in any geographical area of their own choice while opening up an array of economic and environmental opportunities for our regions.
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REGIONAL CO-WORKING ANALYSIS
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