The Mill Enterprise Hub, Drogheda Chamber of Commerce, and Love Drogheda BIDS have launched a new 4-minute survey for local remote workers and commuters.
According to the most recent census figures, 15,000 highly skilled commuters from Drogheda and East Meath, left the region every day prior to the first lockdown. The short survey will assist the group in creating a new post-Covid Commuter Strategy, whilst promoting the skills and expertise within the region.
Breanndán Casey, Innovation and Enterprise manager at The Mill, said: ” We want to assess if those who previously commuted anticipate returning to their past commute, and to see if the Drogheda business community can support them with a new remote work business model that is more suitable for better work/life balance in a post-covid environment.
“Respondents are encouraged to fill out a short survey on our websites and all participants will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three €100 Love Drogheda vouchers”.
All three business organisations have been collaborating on a new strategy to encourage more startups, multinationals and remote workers to base themselves in the wider Drogheda region. The first commuter survey with over 800 respondents was conducted in March 2020, and an analysis of the Census 2016 figures was commissioned in relation to Drogheda’s commuting habits and skills availability.
The Census figures highlighted that prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, the Drogheda Region had one of the highest commuter rates (42%) in Ireland, and that East Meath had the highest percentage of commuters in Ireland travelling for more than 90 minutes each way every day.
“We believe that a large number of ex-commuters who are currently working from home will not return to working 5 days per week from a HQ in Dublin or elsewhere” said Robert Murray, President of Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce. “It’s critical that we support the 15,000 commuters who previously left the region every day, and harness the expertise in the area to build a self-sustainable regional economy that offers the right work/life balance.”
“The survey in March 2020 highlighted how enthusiastic commuters are in relation to working locally with 77% of respondents stating that it is of significant interest to them” according to Trevor Connolly, CEO of Drogheda BIDS. “Those who previously commuted now have greater and easier access to Drogheda’s retail offering, and we want to ensure that Drogheda’s town centre and environments can develop to meet the needs of an expanding population that works locally”.
“We have already established an M1 Drogheda Chapter of Grow Remote Ireland to support remote workers, and will also be creating a CommuTECH programme, a tailored support initiative to work with skilled commuters on developing a start-up”, said Breanndán Casey, “We’re asking commuters and employers to alter their perception of Drogheda, embrace change, and join our active business community as we develop our Regional Growth Centre status.”
Remote workers and commuters can complete the survey by clicking here
