Working from home: estimating the worldwide potential

Policy Reports

As the COVID-19 pandemic destroys lives and ravages economies across the globe, epidemiologists and doctors have made it clear that the virus spreads where people congregate: schools, public transportation, and workplaces. An important measure taken by governments across the world to contain the spread of COVID-19 is to encourage those who can work from home to do so. As a result, as of mid-April 2020, 59 countries had implemented telework for non-essential publicly employed staff. And whether in lockdown or not, governments across the world have encouraged employers to allow working from home as a means to further physical distancing.