Anything between 15 and 25 per cent of jobs in Malta could be done from home once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, a study into local teleworking has concluded.
The study, published by the Central Bank of Malta in its first quarterly review of the year, found evidence that Malta significantly under-utilised its teleworking potential until the pandemic forced employers to adapt.
While just 11.7 per cent of workers did some work from home prior to the pandemic, that figure tripled to 33 per cent in March and April 2020, when pandemic restrictions were at their peak. Across the EU, almost half of all workers – 48 per cent – said they worked from home for at least some time during the pandemic.
The study classified work sectors into one of three different categories: jobs which require minimal interaction and could easily be teleworked; jobs which can be done remotely, despite being less practical; and jobs which are less likely to be teleworked.
Jobs in scenario one include work in IT, financial services, gaming and technical activities. Scenario two includes jobs in publishing, office administration and real estate, among others. Scenario three jobs include broadcasting, education and lab research work.
If jobs in all three categories were to be teleworked, then 33.8 per cent of all work would be done from home, the study concludes.
But researchers acknowledge that this is an unrealistically high figure, with education in particular likely to be deemed a non-teleworkable activity, bar exceptional circumstances.
If the education sector is removed from the equation, then 24.8 per cent of jobs are deemed to have teleworking potential. That is well over double the share of workers that did at least part of their jobs from home before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even if only jobs in scenario one are deemed to be candidates for teleworking, 15.5 per cent of the workforce would be doing at least part of their jobs from home.
The Central Bank study acknowledges that the estimates may be on the high side, as calculations are based on the assumption that all jobs in each classified sector can be worked remotely.
It notes that teleworking is historically less popular locally than the EU average.
Malta's relatively high share of workers in the financial services, gaming, accounting and legal sectors, however, means that it has significant teleworking potential – more than in other EU member states.
Capitalising on it will require “a shift in cultural and organisational practices, including higher levels of work autonomy, investment in information and technological infrastructure, and training opportunities to raise firms’ and workers’ affinity with digital infrastructure,” the report concludes.
Policymakers will however also have to weigh the benefits of teleworking against potential costs, the researchers note.
While remote working could have environmental benefits – in the form of reduced traffic emissions, for instance – and allow local workers to provide services to companies anywhere in the world, it could also lead to companies setting up shop in Malta without having to employ anyone locally, hurting domestic consumption.