Economic, Social and Spatial Effects of Remote Work

The Project:

The times of COVID-19 pandemic have seen an unprecedented increase in the remote working arrangements. This phenomenon comes with new opportunities, but also significant challenges and uncertainties. On one hand this offers a new perspective on feasibility and variety of ways to improve employees’ work-life balance and decentralise jobs away from metropolitan areas creating opportunities for both urban and rural areas, especially for the less favoured regions.

The spatial effects will likely involve shifting demand from intensely exploited districts to less populated areas, changing thereby the urban and rural landscape in terms of real estate prices, building occupation and usage, environmental quality, investment flows (including infrastructure and essential services), labour market outcomes (including skills availability and shortage). 

However, not all workers can enjoy the benefits of working from home. For instance, it is estimated that only approximately 37% of EU-27 workers are in occupations that can be carried out from home. This could amplify existing inequalities. Furthermore, there are health and safety, and social security and tax concerns regarding remote work. Importantly, while remote work can help improve work-life balance, the (often gendered) interplay of remote work and care responsibilities can cause quite the opposite and gendered deterioration work-life-balance can exacerbate existing gender gaps.

As remote working is a phenomenon affecting societies on all levels, the project can investigate the spatial, social and economic effects of remote working arrangements such as impacts on working conditions, working time, work-life balance, skills divide, family and care arrangements, mental health and wellbeing, and local communities in different spaces.

We expect the successful candidate to identify the research questions they find most interesting and promising and design the appropriate methodological approach with our support.

The Successful Candidate should:

Fulfil the entrance requirements for a PhD in the School of Management

Start date:

All PhD students must commence registration and PhD training in October 2023 (except in very exceptional circumstances such as transfer of commenced PhD candidates and with approval from the School Director of Doctoral Programmes)

Enquiries and Applications:

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Joanna Syrda, jes54@bath.ac.uk

Funding Eligibility:

Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS) and University Research Studentship Award (URSA) are available for new management students at the University. For further details and to check if you are eligible please click the links below:

Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS)

University Research Studentship Award (URSA)

We are also accepting self-funded/externally funded students.