Londoner at heart for five years, Petra Hlubuckova, 31, returned to Czechia in March to flee the pandemic. “I was working in a theater and I was put on partial unemployment. I went back to my parents for my sanity! “
Like her, some 700,000 people out of the nine million inhabitants of the “great London ”Left the capital between summer 2019 and summer 2020, according to the Center of Excellence for Economic Statistics. A drop of nearly 8% of the population which mainly concerns Londoners born abroad. “To find such a rapid decline, we have to go back to the Second World War, when the inhabitants fled the bombs”, observes Jonathan Portes, co-author of the study. The Covid seems the first cause of this hemorrhage. “International students left because they could no longer afford to pay their rent. “
The closure of bars, restaurants, museums and theaters also weighed heavily. According to think tank Center For London, less than 20% of these businesses continued to operate nationally, with a potential impact on nearly 500,000 jobs in London.
Added to the health crisis Brexit. It’s impossible to know how many left for that reason alone, admits Jonathan Portes, but “The impact of leaving the EU on immigration has been verified for four years”. And it is likely that the Covid plus Brexit combination has accelerated some departures.
Gone to better come back?
Not sure that these exiles are final. “Everything will depend on the evolution of the pandemic, says Jonathan Portes. The UK has been hit harder than other countries, but it is hoped that it will recover faster thanks to the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign. “
Petra Hlubuckova wants to believe it; she has even already made an attempt. Returning to London after being made redundant in August, she found a managerial position in a hairdressing salon … But with the reconfinement, and her partial unemployment, she had to go back to her parents … From the Czech Republic, she now watches the reopening of shops. “I hope to come back in mid-February, but the guidelines change all the time, she laments. My dream is to work again in a big theater and I cannot find that in Czechia. “
For some Londoners, the pandemic has also questioned their choice of life. According to a study carried out by the municipality, one inhabitant in seven still plans to leave the city. And a third wants, a minima, changing homes… Good news for them: according to the Rightmove agency, the departure of many Londoners has already lowered rents by more than 12% in the center. But for how long ?
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