Glasgow and Dundee are facing bigger challenges post-Covid-19, needing a 4.1% reduction in unemployment to rebuild and improve economically.
Glasgow’s economy has declined further than Edinburgh’s as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by think tank Centre for Cities.
Centre for Cities’ annual study of the UK’s major urban areas, Cities Outlook 2021, has identified Dundee and Glasgow as the Scottish cities facing the biggest challenge of post-Covid-19 economic recovery. The report found that the two cities would need a 4.1 percentage point reduction in unemployment to rebuild and improve their economies. The Scottish capital, on the other hand, requires a smaller three percentage point reduction in order to improve its economy. The disparity, in part, can be attributed to Edinburgh’s greater economic diversity.
Stewart Wilson, of PwC Scotland, said: “This year’s survey shows that Edinburgh – thanks in part to its broad spread of economic sectors – has been less impacted economically than other cities.”
The report demonstrates that the pandemic is not, as some have claimed, a “great equaliser”. Conversely, the disease and its economic fallout has shone a light on and exacerbated existing inequalities.
In order to aid economic recovery, the Centre for Cities’ report recommends additional spending by the Scottish government including on further education and training; improving transport infrastructure; and making city centres more hospitable for high-skilled businesses.
