Interest in remote work demonstrated by three-fold visit to Connected Hubs website – Burke

Strong interest in remote working has resulted in a three-fold increase in visits to the Connected Hubs website, according to Fine Gael TD Colm Burke.

Deputy Burke also welcomed the development of a new corporate service to assist and accommodate employers in using Government’s nationwide network of hubs to facilitate their employees.

Fine Gael is determined to ensure balanced regional development across the country and an important element of that is making remote working an option for more people. The drive to encourage remote working will help revitalise towns and villages and it supports Fine Gael’s ambition and campaign to build stronger, safer communities nationwide.

Deputy Burke said: “Fine Gael wants to make remote working a viable option for people, and to ensuring our towns, villages, and cities are great places to live, work, run a business, raise a family, and grow old.

“The National Hub Network currently comprises 223 remote and co-working facilities across the State, and this is expected to grow to more than 400 facilities over the lifetime of the Government until 2025.

“It is so welcoming these spaces are popping up in every county in the country, including in my own county, so that people have alternative options to carry out their jobs.

“In late February this year, my colleague, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, launched the Connected Hubs marketing campaign and mobile phone app, which allows people to book their hotdesk space at a click of a button.

“Interest in the hubs network has been overwhelming, with visits to ConnectedHubs.ie tripling from January to February, with visitors interacting with the website from as far as the USA.

“Traffic has also been encouraging, with a conversion rate of almost 90% from Android users who searched for the app and decided to download it.

“Recently I asked the Minister if her department were exploring the possibility of longer-term agreements between businesses and hubs to enable more structured remote working, particularly in rural communities.

“I was pleased to be informed that there are significant opportunities for employers of all sizes to leverage the National Hub Network directly.

“More workers than ever are expressing a preference for remote work and more employers, noting the strong professional performance of so many remote workers, see their own interests reflected in those of their employees.

“The connectedhubs.ie team have for some time been developing a corporate service to engage with and support corporate clients interested in using our nationwide network to accommodate their employees.

“It’s also beneficial to gain access to the vast pool of talent that Ireland has to offer, whether those employees live in our cities, towns or villages.

“The establishment of a National Hubs Network is a key commitment in Our Rural Future and the Government is committed to the ongoing development of an integrated network of remote working hubs, to the benefit of our economic recovery post Covid,” Deputy Burke added.