Cities shrink as WFH staff move to country

WORKING from home has fuelled a fall in the population of cities as office staff headed for rural areas, figures suggest.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) estimates show there were fewer residents in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen in the year to June 30, 2021.

The most common moves were from the largest cities to their neighbouring council areas. But in places including Aberdeenshire and Argyll and Bute, populations rose for the first time in years.

Experts have said some citybased staff moved to the countryside during the lockdowns as they were able to work remotely, and many may have stayed even when Covid restrictions were lifted.

Aberdeen and Dundee had the largest annual falls in their populations at 0.7 per cent each. Midlothian and East Lothian saw the biggest rise, at 1.6 per cent each.

The NRS said: ‘The movement from cities to rural areas during the pandemic could be for a number of reasons, including students moving home from their term-time address, or more people working from home over the Covid pandemic and requiring more space.’ It said the pattern of change had altered, adding: ‘In the latest year, the population of the largest cities fell… a change from growth in previous years.’

NRS head of population statistics Esther Roughsedge said: ‘Future reports will tell us if the areas which have gained population sustain those levels.’

Aberdeen’s population fell from 229,060 to 227,430 between mid2020 and mid-2021. It went from 635,640 to 635,130 in Glasgow and from 527,620 to 526,470 in Edinburgh.

In Midlothian it rose from 93,150 to 94,680. In Aberdeenshire it grew from 260,790 to 262,690. Argyll and Bute’s jumped from 85,430 to 86,220. In East Lothian it rose from 107,900 to 109,580.

Working from home has grown more in Scotland than the rest of the UK, up 544,000, or 204 per cent, compared with pre-Covid. The UK-wide rise was 109 per cent. Colin Grieves, of Experian Marketing Services, said: ‘Flexible working means people no longer need to be tied to their office, with a longer occasional commute an acceptable compromise.’

Scotland’s population will grow from 5.47million now to 5.48million in 2028, then shrink, falling to 5.39million by 2045, the NRS said.

Most of the projected change is due to a dwindling birth rate and ageing population. Between 2001 and 2021, the number aged 65 and over rose 33 per cent to 1,073,861.