Remote Work Impacting Downtown Moncton Businesses
MONCTON–Downtown Moncton has been a lot quieter since the Covid-19 pandemic began and many employees are still working remotely almost two years later.
The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton asked 20 of the largest downtown employers about their plans for this year. Chamber CEO John Wishart says early results show remote work is here to stay and that many plan to continue with either remote or hybrid work.
“It will have a lasting impact on downtown. We don’t know the percentages yet but some of the big employers… like Blue Cross, Assumption Life, Atlantic Lotto, the federal government… still aren’t fully back.”
Wishart says taking 20 to 50 percent of those workers away from the office means nearby businesses are feeling the pinch.
“We estimate there are roughly 21-22,000 people that work downtown. If we take 20-50 percent out of that workforce on a daily basis, that really has an impact on restaurants, cafes, and service providers,” he says.
On a positive note, Wishart says a lot of residential construction is underway so we may be seeing a shift from working downtown to living downtown.
He adds as a community we need to think about how we respond to that and what services are now needed if more people are actually living in the core.
Allan Dearing is a reporter with 91.9 The Bend in Moncton, a Huddle content partner.