'Massive economic consequences' as Edinburgh has lowest workplace activity in the world compared to pre-Covid

The data, from Google, tracks the location of users and judges whether they are at work, at home, or doing recreational activities.
The number of people at workplaces is lower in Edinburgh than anywhere else compared to before the lockdown.The number of people at workplaces is lower in Edinburgh than anywhere else compared to before the lockdown.
The number of people at workplaces is lower in Edinburgh than anywhere else compared to before the lockdown.

Edinburgh is showing signs of having one of the slowest economic recoveries in the world post-lockdown as the impact of the Covid-19 crisis takes hold of the habits of the people of the Capital.

Google data, analysed by Dan Cookson, an independent housing and spatial information specialist, shows that the city is struggling to bounce back from the coronavirus lockdown.

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The data, which tracks people’s movements and allocates it as being at home, at work, or doing recreation activities, shows that when compared to pre-lockdown, Edinburgh has the lowest workplace activity of anywhere in the world, down 69 per cent as of July 7.

Edinburgh is bottom of the list in terms of comparative workplace activity (green line). Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)Edinburgh is bottom of the list in terms of comparative workplace activity (green line). Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)
Edinburgh is bottom of the list in terms of comparative workplace activity (green line). Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)

Cities across the UK are among the lowest in the world with Glasgow down 59 per cent, Aberdeen and Greater London down 58 per cent.

Other countries such as Vietnam are showing a much strong recovery mainly due to their lockdown starting and ending earlier, with workplace activity up 40 per cent when compared to March 2.

Edinburgh had also been bottom of the list in terms of recreation activities before Leicester dropped below the Scottish capital during its renewed lockdown.

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Conservative group chairman, Cllr Jason Rust said the statistic was “astonishing”.

The red lines show UK local areas, with Edinburgh at the bottom. Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)The red lines show UK local areas, with Edinburgh at the bottom. Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)
The red lines show UK local areas, with Edinburgh at the bottom. Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)

He said: “This is an astonishing statistic and shows the level of the challenge ahead to get the economy kickstarted. There has been significant and unprecedented UK Government intervention to protect, support and create jobs and we need to build on this and as a capital city lead the way.

"Good, secure jobs are the key. There are massive economic consequences arising from the pandemic and we now need to all do our bit to get over the shock and get Edinburgh moving again and support Edinburgh's businesses.”

Depute leader of the council, Labour’s Cammy Day said: "It's interesting to see how lockdown has changed the way we live and move around our City and we already know that more and more people are working from home and taking up cycling rather than traveling by public transport or car.

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"Looking at the Google data, it's also clear that the vast majority of people in Edinburgh have been following the public health guidance, staying at home when advised to and sticking to their local area. This has been critical for containing the virus and saving lives.

Bath and North East Somerset had been lowest on the retail and recreation measure, but Edinburgh was bottom prior to the local lockdown in Leicester. Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)Bath and North East Somerset had been lowest on the retail and recreation measure, but Edinburgh was bottom prior to the local lockdown in Leicester. Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)
Bath and North East Somerset had been lowest on the retail and recreation measure, but Edinburgh was bottom prior to the local lockdown in Leicester. Graph courtesy of Dan Cookson (@danc00ks0n)

"Unsurprisingly, there has been a sharp increase in people rediscovering the city's parks and greenspaces and, as more and more businesses and workplaces start to re-open, we'll have the opportunity to enjoy even more of our City.

“There remains a dip in travel for leisure and recreation, but this is because Scotland's response to the pandemic and the lifting of lockdown is different to other parts of the UK. I'm sure the data will look quite different in a few weeks but it will take time to recover.

"Many local businesses rely on for income from visitors, particularly during August, so we’ll all have a part to play in visiting our favourite shops and restaurants where we can. This is the time to show these businesses how much we value them."

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