Transformations  in
Business & Economics

TELEWORKING AND ITS IMPACT ON LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY AND WAGE INCOME
Alexandru Avram, Marioara Avram, Costin Daniel Avram, Luminita Popescu, Catalina Sitnikov, Gina Raluca Guse

ABSTRACT. In this paper, we aimed at conducting a study on telework activities by investigating both the factors favoring the growth of teleworkers' share in the economy and the effects of telework on relevant macroeconomic indicators. The study confirms the positive impact of increased Internet access and IT&C skills' development training programs on telework and its influence on the growth of labour productivity and average wage. In 2020, under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unprecedented increase in the share of telework has led to a decline in labour productivity in the vast majority of European countries. Without entering into a post hoc, ergo propter hoc debate, 2020 was an utterly atypical year, with the decrease in labour productivity not necessarily an effect of telework but rather of restrictive measures that affected entire sectors of the economy .

KEYWORDS:  telework, labour productivity, Internet access, average wage, COVID-19 pandemic.

JEL classification:  E24, J01, J24, J30, O15.