‘Staffing exodus’ from London as remote working lifestyle takes hold

Employers have been urged to be aware of a talent exodus from London as insight reveals an increased desire from highly skilled people to move to less metropolitan locations in a remote working environment.

In an analysis of where cities are losing and gaining talent, Guidant Global discovered that the capital is losing more highly skilled professionals to smaller towns and cities across the UK than it is gaining, as people seek to leave the ‘rat race’ behind for good.

The data showed that Epsom is proving a particularly popular destination, with London losing three professionals to this location for every two gained. The capital is also losing five people for every four gained to St Albans, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Welwyn Garden City and Leigh-on-Sea.

As Simon Blockley, CEO of Guidant Global, explained, those employers with a historically London-based talent approach will need to broaden their horizons: “One of the side effects we’re seeing of the pandemic is a migration of talent from previously popular and crowded cities to other, more remote destinations that often offer better value for money when it comes to living costs as well as a better quality of life. The simple fact is, remote working has been proven to be feasible in many cases, so people are now more eager to make those permanent relocation moves of which they have dreamed. The challenge for employers now is to not only broaden the geographical scope of their workforce solutions, but also re-evaluate where top talent is now located. For those with a London base, the resources you need are unlikely to still be in the same place.”