The new commute: Is teleworking stimulating residential and workplace relocations?

Abstract

As teleworking becomes increasingly embedded in contemporary work arrangements, its broader impacts on mobility and settlement patterns remain unclear. This study investigates the extent to which teleworking, alongside sociodemographic, household, employment, travel, and residential factors, influences job and residential relocation behaviour. Using data from an online survey of 1290 workers in East Flanders, Belgium, conducted between October 2023 and January 2024, this study estimates two multinomial logit models: one assessing relocation behaviour over the past three years, and another examining future relocation intentions. Results indicate that job changes and job change intentions are partially associated with telework-related factors, such as unmet telework preferences and dual-teleworker household status. However, residential relocation decisions are shaped more strongly by life stage, household composition, housing conditions, and neighbourhood and commuting experiences. These findings highlight the need to understand teleworking within its broader socio-spatial context, as teleworking alone does not appear to drive large-scale shifts in residential or employment location