Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1338076
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS One in three Maltese jobs could be performed remotely NICOLE MEILAK OVER one-third of all jobs in Malta can be performed by telework during extraordinary times, according to a Central Bank of Malta study released yesterday. The study, published in the Bank's Quarterly Review, finds that over 30% of jobs in Malta can be carried out via telework under special circumstances, while 15-25% of work can be performed from home with rel- ative ease. Within the study, economic sectors are divided into three scenarios: those that are high- ly likely to be able to telework, those that are possible to be per- formed by telework, and sectors less likely but still possible to telework under special circum- stances. Taking into account the first scenario, 15.5% of jobs are deemed teleworkable. These include all jobs that re- quire minimal, if any, interaction with others, including computer programming or consultancy jobs, and legal or accounting ac- tivities. Jobs falling under the second scenario make up 23.3% of the workforce. These include activ- ities that are less practical to be conducted via telework, but can still be performed away from the workplace. Activities under this classification are found to have more than 70% capacity to work from home. The third scenario incorpo- rates sectors like education and broadcasting, which require a significant element of human interaction or use of machinery, but may still be carried out from home under abnormal circum- stances as shown throughout the pandemic. In this scenario, 33.8% of jobs are considered teleworkable. "The substantial increase in the prevalence of teleworking, which has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic, implies that utilisation of the country's teleworking potential was rath- er low before the outbreak, an observation that is confirmed by this analysis," the Bank reports. Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of teleworking in Malta stood at 11.7% in 2019. However, official statistics found that 33% of all employed persons were carrying out some work from home during March and April in 2020 – on par with po- tential teleworking results found in the study. CBM remarked that closing the gap between actual and potential teleworking levels post-COVID would require a cultural and organisational shift in work practices, including higher levels of work autonomy and better investment in infor- mation and technological infra- structure. In light of the results, the Bank said that there is scope for add- ed research on the economic impacts of teleworking, includ- ing effects on labour productiv- ity and employee wellbeing. It pointed out that firms may set up shop locally without physical employees, causing Malta to lose out on positive spill-overs de- rived from domestic consump- tion. "On the other hand, telework- ing could make it easier for in- dividuals living in Malta to pro- vide services worldwide without relocating to other countries. In turn, the reduced need to be physically present in the coun- try of employment may also give rise to issues surrounding taxa- tion, such as the determination of the country where it should be charged." PAUL COCKS MEMBERS of the European Parliament have been left dis- appointed after an effort by the European Commission to satis- fy calls for transparency on the COVID-19 vaccinations pro- curement process proved to an exercise in futility. Following the tense exchanges between the Commission and vaccine producer AstraZene- ca after the latter announced a slowdown in deliveries to the EU, the European Parliament had called on the Commission to disclose details of the delivery contracts signed with the ma- jor pharmaceutical companies working on COVID-19 vaccina- tions. Cyrus Engerer, a Maltese MEP within the EP's S&D parliamen- tary group and a member of the EP's Health Committee, was one of a few select MEPs invited to the Commission's office to view the contracts. "Unfortunately we were left very disappointed as practical- ly the entire contracts had been redracted or blacked out," he said during an online press con- ference with the Maltee press organised by the EP's represent- ative office in Malta. "What had not been blacked out was innocuous and we could not even make sense of those, as many sentences and sections did not flow due to the redacted sec- tions." Engerer said that the need for transparency and accountability across EU institutions – includ- ing the Commission and the European Court of Justice – was gaining momentum daily. "It is unfortunate that af- ter agreeing on the need for a mandatory transparency regis- ter, heavily promoted by Malta during its presidency of the EU, the European Commission and European Parliament had final- ly decided to adopy a heavily water-down version of the pro- posal," he said. "It is a pity that the EU missed this chance to become more transparent and accountable to its citizens." Enegerer added that once his website went online in the near future, it would include a trans- parency register where he would be listing all the meetings he holds, and with whom. Commission President will be appearing before the European Parliament on Wednesday to update MEP on the EU vaccine rollout effort thus far. He said that Maltese MEPs have written to Von Der Leyen, asking that the Commission pre- pare a contingency plan should researchers conclude that a third dose of the AstraZeneca will be needed to cover all known strains of the virus. Engerer said the joint procure- ment of vaccines for all EU mem- ber states had proven a success, highlighting the benefits gained when member states worked to- gether instead of individually. He said that the Maltese cit- izens, like others across the EU, were now calling for more similar cooperation in other health-related issues. "We have discussed a possible European Health Union, where member states would work to- gether on a number of issues, including cancer research and treatment," Engerer said. He said he was much in favour of such a union and very much against nationalism in health-re- lated matters. Engerer laments lack of transparency as European Commission 'discloses' COVID-19 vaccine contracts Cyrus Engerer