Coronavirus

Remote work rates drop for the first time since start of the pandemic

According to a report from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), remote work activities have fallen significantly for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The second week of July saw 653,000 Brazilians return to their former workplaces

In early July, 8.9 million Brazilians declared they were working from home, a figure which is now down to 8.2 million. The decrease in remote work is tied to the loosening of social isolation measures across Brazilian states, as governors and mayors attempt to slowly bring back the economy to pre-pandemic levels.

The number of workers on leave during the pandemic has also significantly decreased from 20 million at the beginning of May — when isolation measures started — to 10.1 million in mid-July.

Despite the slow transition out of remote work routines, working from home is likely to remain a staple of the Brazilian economy for the foreseeable future. As previously covered by The Brazilian Report, 70 percent of Brazilian executives believe productivity has improved with their staff stuck at home and are likely to continue remote work after the pandemic.

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