Scotland's strong adoption of hybrid working 'could give economy multi-million-pound boost'

Scottish organisations and employees are embracing hybrid work more than anywhere else in the UK, which could lead to a major influx of workers north of the Border and multi-million-pound boost to the economy, according to a new study.

On average, Scottish employees now want to work 2.8 days a week from home – a rise of 254 per cent compared with before the pandemic, and above the UK-wide figure of 2.35, according to a Virgin Media O2 Business study with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).

Additionally, Scottish respondents said they enjoyed an additional 1.7 hours of leisure time a day on average when working remotely, which scaled up equals 442 hours a year or almost 20 extra days.

Hybrid working is making Scotland an appealing option for skilled workers from the rest of the UK, according to the report. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto.

The research also found that of those employees who indicated a willingness to relocate thanks to remote working, Scotland could see an influx of 238,000 workers.

Assuming that they would retain their current jobs and salaries before moving north of the Border and working remotely, their arrival could lead to a £7.1 million injection into the Scottish economy – the highest economic uplift of anywhere surveyed in the report.

Mike Smith, director of large enterprise and public sector at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: “This research shows that embracing hybrid working can have concrete economic and societal impacts for Scotland.

"Now, business leaders need to ensure they are listening to their workforces and offer choice. This includes access to technology, but also training with the relevant hardware, apps, and security. Supporting staff in this way will lead to happier employees, stronger sales and more modern and resilient regional economies.”

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