IMF Working Papers

Will Working from Home Stick in Developing Economies?

By Marina Conesa Martinez, Futoshi Narita, Chris Papageorgiou

May 26, 2023

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Marina Conesa Martinez, Futoshi Narita, and Chris Papageorgiou. Will Working from Home Stick in Developing Economies?, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2023) accessed November 6, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

In developing economies, a shift to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic varies substantially. An increase in teleworking days per week ranges from 0.7 to 17.6 percentage points across 10 developing countries covered by an online survey to about 500 respondents per country. An estimated income discount associated with telework disappeared temporarily at the onset of the pandemic. A calibrated model indicates that workers’ preferences to telework may largely depend on their educational attainments. Whether telework will sustain in these countries could depend on obstacles to telework, particularly for workers with less education, and a degree of economy-wide externality.

Subject: COVID-19, Education, Health, Income, National accounts

Keywords: COVID-19, Employment status, Global, Income, Income discount, Income earner, Telework share, Telework situation

Publication Details

  • Pages:

    44

  • Volume:

    ---

  • DOI:

    ---

  • Issue:

    ---

  • Series:

    Working Paper No. 2023/112

  • Stock No:

    WPIEA2023112

  • ISBN:

    9798400244025

  • ISSN:

    1018-5941