ZAGREB, 30 November, 2021 - About 11% of the workforce works remotely yet 34% could be teleworking in Croatia, it was said at a roundtable discussion as part of DEVOTE, in Osijek on Tuesday.
DEVOTE (Development of Teleworking Future) was organised by the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP), oil industry unions and the Norwegian employers' association NHO.
Even in the pandemic 2020 year, when remote working became more typical, there was 3% who constantly worked remotely and 8% occasionally, which is a total of 11% of Croatia's workforce, it was said.
Calculations were presented which indicate how many potential jobs or employees could work remotely. In Europe, that percentage is 37% whereas in Croatia it could be 34%.
"We have 11% who worked remotely and 34% who could, in theory, do so," chief economist at HUP and DEVOTE project leader, Iva Tomić said.
She added that during the coronavirus crisis and lockdown, one of the significant ways to preserve jobs was remote work in fact.
Tomić claimed that the legislative framework is fairly rigid and unclear and HUP proposes a special mechanism for teleworking, which could be permanent for companies who opt for this type of work or temporary if that is a better option.
"One way to attract workers, now when there is a shortage on the labour market in Croatia, is remote work. Employers need to be enabled the simplest and most flexible legislative solutions so that this form of work can be provided to mutual satisfaction for employers and workers but also to bring us closer to European practise," underscored Tomić.
