America’s biggest cities should brace for a chunk of families moving out because they prefer to work remotely from less crowded and less expensive areas, according to a survey by Upwork released Thursday.
The survey showed 14 million to 23 million people plan to pack up, many of them from big US cities.
The trend is no surprise since the pandemic made it dangerous to commute on mass transit and work in crowded offices. Still, Upwork chief economist Adam Ozimek said the large number was a surprise.
Ozimek commissioned two smaller surveys with new questions to confirm the trend. Some 20,000 people participated and results of the three surveys show 6.9 per cent to 11.5 per cent of households plan a move because of remote work opportunities. That comes on top of families that would be moving regardless of the pandemic-led changes.
Of those planning a move, 20.6 per cent are currently in a major city, 41.5 per cent are moving more than four hours away and 13.2 per cent are moving two to four hours away. Upwork helps connect businesses with freelancers around the world.
Several tech companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Square, Dropbox and Stripe, are giving employees the option to choose permanent remote work with some requiring a pay cut for those leaving the expensive cities.❐
