West Dunbartonshire has been named the best place to remote work in Scotland, revealed a new survey.
According to Tinywow, the local authority has been ranked as the best area of Scotland for remote workers as it offers the best internet download speeds, the closest distance to green space and some of the country's lowest house prices.
The free digital tool provider analysed several factors including average internet download speeds, house prices, household energy and gas consumption, distance to green space and the proportion of houses with garden access.
West Dunbartonshire was found to be the best area for remote working with an overall score of 75.53 out of 100.
The area was found to have the country’s fastest internet speeds, averaging 154.8 Mbps download speeds, and a staggering 90 per cent of homes were reported to have ultrafast broadband speeds of 100 Mbps or more.
The area also scored well for affordable housing, offering the fourth-lowest house prices in Scotland, at an average sale price of £137,869.
West Dunbartonshire was also found to offer the shortest distance to public green space, with its residents being just 0.29 kilometres from the nearest park, public garden or playing field on average.
Meanwhile, North Lanarkshire is Scotland's second-best area and Renfrewshire third-best for remote working. Argyll and Bute ranked as the least remote work-friendly area, offering the lowest internet download speeds and only 4 per cent of homes were equipped with ultrafast broadband.
A spokesperson for TinyWow said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly accelerated the public’s awareness of and interest in remote working over the past few years. While many have since been keen to return to the office, overall demand for remote work across the UK only seems to be increasing.
“In fact, recent Google Trends data shows that search interest for ‘remote work jobs’ reached its highest point in five years, during the first week of January 2023, highlighting that many are eager to engage with this new way of working.
“Internet access, affordability of housing and access to public and private green space are all important factors to consider when accessing the longevity of working from home. For those seeking a role in an industry that facilitates remote work, it's worth evaluating which aspects of work are the most important to you, and whether your home setting can provide them.”
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