The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has (15 January 2021) welcomed the publication of a new National Remote Work Strategy by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD.

Commenting on the publication of the Strategy, Minister Humphreys said:

“Remote or Connected Working, underpinned by the roll out of the National Broadband Plan, has the potential to transform rural Ireland.

“It can breathe new life into our rural towns and villages because people who have been forced to commute to large urban centres every day are now working locally.

“And it can help us to retain young people in rural areas by opening up the opportunity for them to pursue good careers while continuing to live in their local areas, no matter where their employer is based.”

The Minister continued:

“As part of the Remote Work Strategy launched by the Tánaiste, my Department is developing a national network of remote co-working spaces which will support companies and workers who want to access serviced remote working facilities across the country.  We are also developing an app which will enable workers to book a desk in any of the hubs in the network through a common booking engine.

“The Government has invested significantly in remote working hubs and enterprise spaces over the last number of years, including through my Department, and the Remote Working Strategy includes a commitment to make further significant investment in remote working infrastructure.

“Remote working, whether from home or from a shared co-working hub, has been accelerated by COVID-19, but it will be a feature of the world of work in the future. It will open up new possibilities for people living in rural Ireland and will be a cornerstone of the new Rural Development Policy which I will be publishing shortly.”