Analysis of ONS migration data shows that just 2% homeowners and sole renters move region each year. In contrast, 11% of flatsharers moved to another region last year for employment reasons alone, according to a poll of 2,331 easyroommate.co.uk users.
With 1.9 million renters in flatshares across the country, this means that every year, flatsharers provide a workforce of 209,000 mobile young workers. The average such flatsharer has moved more than 120 miles to a new home – the same distance as moving from Birmingham to London.
With an average age of 27, most flatsharers haven’t yet established long-term commitments like families or marriages that hinder mobility. On average, flatsharers move just over six times during their flatsharing career, with the average flatsharer moving home twice or more (2.4 times on average) for a new job. And two thirds of respondents indicated that they would move regions in the future for employment reasons.
Jonathan Moore, director of easyroommate.co.uk, commented: “The UK has a reputation for a very immobile workforce. In other countries like the US, people move across country at the drop of a hat.
“But the high level of homeownership in Britain - and the costs involved in moving home - has reined in the number of people moving regions for work. However, the economic downturn and the squeeze on jobs has forced UK job hunters to be less picky where they choose to work. There are fewer jobs to choose from, and many have had to move across the country. With no mortgage - and no assured tenancy agreement - the flatsharing population have been far more flexible and able to up sticks to find work.”
The trend has accelerated since the recession. In the last three years, one in five live-in landlords (21%) have seen an increase in the number of tenants who have moved for the purpose of getting a new job.
Moore coninued: “Public spending cuts will hammer areas that are more dependent on public sector employment, such as the North East. Flatsharing will continue to play a pivotal role for long distance work migration as thousands more will have to look further afield than their current city over the next four years.”
