Abstract
Job home linkages connect residential locations with employment centres and form a relational structure within urban systems. Hybrid work changes how often these links require travel to a fixed workplace and may produce distinct spatial networks.
Using district level mobility data for Spain from 2022 to 2024, the article develops a gradient network approach. It compares national structures, traces district level relational change, and examines variation by settlement urbanity and established network position.
The results show that greater flexibility is associated with broader and less concentrated networks. The strongest geographic extension appears among the most flexible connections. Within districts, hybrid intensity is most strongly associated with a more balanced distribution of partners. The associations are larger for employment catchments than for residential employment fields. Urban districts experience stronger diversification, while districts with weaker established positions expand more rapidly and remain below established centres. Hybrid work broadens labour market matching while preserving established urban hierarchy.