One of the key policy areas that the Maltese Government has addressed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic was remote working, which, together with other flexible working arrangements, was already gaining traction prior to the crises. Encouraging people to work from home, limiting interactions between different households, and stopping meetings at the workplace were important mitigation measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus. The Maltese Government envisaged that the promotion and adoption of teleworking during this period could actually start a positive change in how some companies viewed teleworking. It is also worth noting that the increased acceptance of teleworking could lead to higher female labour force participation rates in the future. According to a survey by the Maltese National Statistics Office, while an average of 12 per cent of those employed in 2019 were able to work remotely, this rose to 33% by the end of March 2020 and fog is expected to rise further during the year.
