There have been a lot of questions about the viability of cities amid the push for remote work. A new report from Citi and the University of Oxford turns that proposition on its head by noting that remote work could be offshored. The remaining innovation-led activity will, by necessity, have to be done in-person in offices that are located in cities.

The report finds that the potential for professional services jobs to be done remotely and cheaper overseas would be the start of a foundational shift in developed economies, where the future of work could be based on innovation, exploration and creative thinking. Those tasks require face-to-face interaction and geographic proximity.

"Jobs that can be done remotely can often also be automated and offshored, meaning that occupations that center on the kind of sporadic interactions that drive innovation will become an ever-growing share of the workforce in advanced economies," says report author Dr. Carl Benedikt Frey, director of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Work at the University of Oxford, in a prepared statement.