## Teleworking is Not Working for the Poor, the Young, and the Women

_IMF Blog, July 7, 2020_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Teleworking is Not Working for the Poor, the Young, and the Women](https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2020/07/07/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/blogs/articles/2020/07/07/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/blogs/articles/2020/07/07/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/blogs/articles/2020/07/07/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla-Norris, Salma Khalid
- Published: July 7, 2020

---

### Overview and scope
- Study covers a large sample of advanced and emerging market economies using surveys compiled by the OECD for 35 countries.
- Estimate: nearly 100 million workers in 35 advanced and emerging countries (out of 189 IMF members) could be at high risk because they are unable to do their jobs remotely.
- This is equivalent to 15 percent of their workforce, on average.
- Work-from-home feasibility index is based on tasks actually performed within each country (not just U.S. occupation definitions).

### Key findings on who is most at risk
- Sectors with the least teleworkable jobs:
  - Food and accommodation
  - Wholesale and retail trade
  - More than 20 million people in the sample who work in these sectors are at the highest risk of losing their jobs.
- Country differences:
  - It is much easier to telework in Norway and Singapore than in Turkey, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru.
  - More than half the households in most emerging and developing countries don’t even have a computer at home.
- Demographic and job-type vulnerabilities:
  - Young workers and those without university education are significantly less likely to work remotely.
  - Women are disproportionately concentrated in hardest-hit sectors like food service and accommodation and face heavier child care and domestic burdens.
  - Part-time workers and employees of small and medium-sized firms face greater risk of job loss.
  - In developing economies, part-time workers and those in informal work face a dramatically higher risk of falling into poverty.
- Distributional implications:
  - Workers at the bottom of the earnings distribution are least able to work remotely; the COVID-19 crisis will exacerbate income inequality.
  - Low-income workers are disproportionately concentrated in hardest-hit sectors and are more likely to live hand-to-mouth with little financial buffer.

### Mechanisms amplifying impact
- Social distancing and lockdowns threaten jobs requiring physical presence or face-to-face interactions.
- Disruption of market provision of child care and domestic services increases the burden on women.
- Structural shifts in consumer behavior (more e-commerce, more takeout) may reduce demand for traditional retail and restaurant jobs.

### Policy recommendations
- Short-term protection:
  - Broaden social insurance and safety nets to cushion income and employment loss.
  - Use wage subsidies and public-works programs to help affected workers regain livelihoods during recovery.
- Medium- to long-term measures:
  - Strengthen education and training to better prepare workers for future jobs.
  - Promote lifelong learning by bolstering access to schooling and skills training for displaced workers.
  - Invest in digital infrastructure and close the digital divide so disadvantaged groups can participate meaningfully in the future economy.

*Source: Teleworking is Not Working for the Poor, the Young, and the Women — Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla‑Norris, Salma Khalid, July 7, 2020.*

---


## References

- [عربي](https://www.imf.org/ar/News/Articles/2020/07/08/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women)
- [日本語](https://www.imf.org/ja/News/Articles/2020/07/08/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women)
- [Português](https://www.imf.org/pt/News/Articles/2020/07/08/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women)
- [a new paper](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2020/06/12/Who-will-Bear-the-Brunt-of-Lockdown-Policies-Evidence-from-Tele-workability-Measures-Across-49479)
- [intergenerational inequality](https://blogs.imf.org/2020/02/27/the-declining-fortunes-of-the-young/)
- [heavier burden of child care and domestic chores](https://blogs.imf.org/2019/10/15/the-economic-cost-of-devaluing-womens-work/)
- [exacerbate income inequality](https://blogs.imf.org/2020/05/11/how-pandemics-leave-the-poor-even-farther-behind/)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2020/07/07/blog-teleworking-is-not-working-for-the-poor-the-young-and-women_