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The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Realities behind the global experiment of ‘remote work'
The quiet revolution of remote work, once hailed as the future of labour, has become far more complicated than anyone imagined. Millions of workers across the world dream of the freedom and the flexibility that come with working from home. However, in reality, far fewer actually enjoy it. This gap between aspiration and practice reflects a dense web of cultural expectations, managerial hesitation, infrastructural challenges, and the hidden costs of working outside the traditional office. Survey findings, gender issues The 'Global Survey of Working Arrangements', conducted by the Ifo Institute and Stanford University, covering over 16,000 college-educated workers across 40 countries between 2024 and 2025, lays bare this paradox. No matter where they live, workers express a clear wish for more remote days. How this plays out on the ground varies widely. In countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, people average 1.6 remote workdays per week. In much of Asia, the figure is only 1.1 — a little more than half of what employees there say they ideally want. Africa and Latin America fall somewhere in between. Why the lag in Asia? The reasons are unsurprising. In India, China, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere, physical presence in the office still signals loyalty, discipline and seriousness. The old culture of 'presenteeism' endures stubbornly. Compounding this are cramped living conditions, shared spaces and unreliable Internet, all of which make remote work unattractive or even unfeasible, for many urban dwellers. But geography is only part of the story. Gender casts its own long shadow. In most countries, women, particularly mothers, tend to work from home more often than men — and desire it more strongly. For them, remote work offers a partial answer to the long-standing struggle of balancing paid work with care-giving. Survey data show that mothers express the highest ideal number of remote days per week (2.66 days), closely followed by childless women (2.53). Fathers also want flexibility, but to a lesser extent. Curiously, it is only in Europe that men do report slightly more actual remote workdays than women. These numbers reopen an old, unresolved question: is women's desire for remote work truly a sign of empowerment? Or is it merely a response to the continuing burden of unpaid care? For all the talk of gender equality, the division of household labour remains deeply unequal. For many mothers, the chance to work remotely may reflect not freedom of choice but hard necessity: the only practical way to manage two full-time roles (employee and caregiver) under the same roof. The appetite for working from home points to cultural shifts among men, too. Many men without children say they prefer remote work not because of family obligations but because they value freedom: there is time for health, hobbies, creativity, or simply relief from the daily grind of office life. The COVID-19 pandemic years proved that productivity could survive, perhaps even thrive, without office cubicles. Having tasted this autonomy, many are reluctant to surrender it. Still, the most striking revelation is the widening gap between what workers want and what they get. The global average for 'ideal' remote days is now 2.6 days per week. The reality? Just 1.27 days in 2024, a drop from 1.33 days the year before, and sharply down from 1.61 days in 2022. The unease of employers, health concerns What explains this retreat? Many employers remain uneasy. They worry about falling team spirit, lost oversight, and declining innovation. Some industries lack the tools or the systems for remote success. And the ingrained habits of office life continue to exert a powerful influence. That is only half the picture. The risks of working from home, especially to health, are becoming clearer. Data from Statista Consumer Insights (2023) reveal that remote workers are more prone to physical ailments: backaches, headaches, eye strain and joint pains, more so than their factory- or office-bound counterparts. The mental toll is significant as well. Isolation, blurred boundaries and constant digital connection all exact a price. Most homes, after all, are not designed for ergonomic safety or sustained mental focus. These hidden costs may explain why some companies are quietly pulling back on remote options. However, to abandon the model completely would overlook its real advantages: greater autonomy, better work-life balance, less commuting stress, and higher job satisfaction. Possible alternatives So, where does this leave workers, employers and policymakers? In need of imagination and honesty. Hybrid work, a carefully designed mix of home and office time offers the best path for most jobs. However, hybrid models alone will not suffice. Companies must invest in making home offices safer and more productive, support healthy routines and breaks, and create clear digital boundaries to prevent burnout. Governments, too, must catch up. Remote work demands fresh protections: universal broadband access, stipends for home-office upgrades, and enforceable health standards. These are especially critical in developing economies, where infrastructure lags behind. Furthermore, beneath all this lies a deeper social reckoning. If women remain saddled with the bulk of care-giving even when working from home, can we really speak of progress toward gender equality? If men now seek remote work more for freedom than family, what does that say about changing male identities in the workplace? The global experiment in working from home is not just about technology or convenience. It is a mirror, reflecting the unresolved tensions between freedom and control, trust and suspicion, autonomy and loneliness. P. John J. Kennedy is former Professor and Dean, Christ University, Bengaluru
Daily News Egypt
12-07-2025
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Germany faces recruitment hurdles in push to rearm, eyes conscription
Germany is struggling to recruit enough soldiers for its planned rearmament in the face of growing Russian threats, a challenge complicated by a tight labour market and an aging population, according to a Bloomberg report. While Berlin has significant funds to boost its military after decades of neglect, and many European countries face their own manpower shortages, the problem is particularly acute in Germany. The country needs to increase its regular army to 260,000 soldiers from about 180,000 currently, and add hundreds of thousands of reservists. The new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also working to overhaul Germany's infrastructure, which will add further pressure on the workforce. According to Bloomberg, Berlin is taking steps to reintroduce a form of conscription, and analysts have raised the possibility of enlisting immigrants into the armed forces. Merz told German companies last month that recruitment, not funding, would be the 'decisive problem' to overcome in his quest to build the continent's strongest conventional army. He called on them to temporarily release workers to acquire military skills. CONSCRIPTION DEBATE These plans have reignited a debate over whether to reinstate conscription, which was suspended in 2011. About 55% of Germans support the idea. While the coalition government plans a voluntary model inspired by Sweden, Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius have left the door open to mandatory conscription if progress is too slow. Merz's government is expected to pass legislation in the last week of August to allow for voluntary military service by January. Pistorius aims to attract more than 110,000 recruits by the end of the decade. Behind the scenes, conservative lawmakers are reportedly pushing for a mandatory mechanism to reintroduce compulsory military service if the voluntary model fails to attract enough people. However, there are serious doubts that this approach could negatively affect an economy that has shrunk over the past two years and is in dire need of skilled labour. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES Pistorius has acknowledged that Germany's aging population is a problem for the military, stating recently that he will need to replace a 'wave' of retirees in addition to finding new personnel. He insists that any conscription model would only be used to increase the army's reserves, while full-time staff would have to be found through other means. In 2024, the number of soldiers fell to below 180,000, the lowest level since 2018, despite long-standing efforts to reach over 200,000. Researchers at the Ifo Institute in Munich have warned against conscription, arguing that it takes people out of the labour market, delays their education, and ultimately reduces their income, which would have 'serious consequences for the economy as a whole.' Pano Bhurtel, a co-author of a 2024 study by the institute, said that for the voluntary model to succeed, 'the most important thing is to improve wages.' 'INNOVATIVE IDEAS' The army believes that 'creative social media campaigns' and regional recruitment events have proven successful, although this has only allowed it to 'halt the negative trend.' Bloomberg noted that immigration could help offset demographic shifts, an idea Pistorius floated last year. However, the current climate towards this idea is likely to be hostile after a backlash against migrants pushed Merz to adopt tougher immigration policies. Bhurtel suggested that a faster path to citizenship for immigrants who choose to enlist could be one way to increase recruitment. Guntram Wolff, a senior fellow at the Bruegel research centre, agreed, saying that higher salaries alone may not be enough. 'The labour market has become empty, so we need to be more open. We have to take the integration of immigrants seriously, and that applies to the armed forces as well,' he said.
Russia Today
28-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
12,000 German companies went bust in six months
Germany endured the highest wave of corporate bankruptcies in a decade in the first half of this year, a study by economic tracking agency Creditreform has suggested. The first six months of this year saw some 11,900 German companies go bust, the study released on Thursday indicates. The figure represented a 9.4% increase over the same period last year, according to the agency. Some 141,000 employees worked at the companies affected. 'Despite some signs of hope, Germany remains mired in a deep economic and structural crisis. Companies are struggling with weak demand, rising costs, and persistent uncertainty,' Creditreform chief economist Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch said. The situation is expected to remain difficult as Germany continues to struggle with a recession that has dragged on for two years already. The wave of bankruptcies might ultimately increase in the next six months, given that the 'persistently high level of insolvencies is increasingly triggering chain reactions,' Hantzsch warned. While German GDP grew by a slight 0.2% in the first quarter of 2025, weak global demand and uncertainty in trade policies continue to take a toll on its economy. According to a new survey conducted by the Ifo economic institute released this week, expectations have worsened among German exporters this month over uncertainty regarding a potential trade war with Washington. The US was Germany's top trading partner in 2024, with bilateral trade in goods totaling €253 billion (around $280 billion), according to official data. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump imposed 20% tariffs on all EU goods, with 25% on steel, aluminum, and cars. When Brussels signaled its readiness to retaliate, most of the levies were put on hold for 90 days to allow for negotiations. A 10% base tariff and the 25% targeted duties remained unchanged. 'The tariff threats from the US are still on the table. An agreement between the EU and the US has yet to be reached,' Klaus Wohlrabe, head of Ifo surveys, said, adding that the uncertainty has lowered exporters' expectations, with the respective index falling to -7.4 points in June from -5.0 in May. The index measures how optimistic or pessimistic German manufacturing companies are about their prospects for selling abroad over the next three months.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German export sentiment takes hit from tariff threat, Ifo says
BERLIN (Reuters) -The mood among German exporters darkened in June due to uncertainty regarding U.S. tariffs, according to a survey conducted by the Ifo economic institute. The institute's index for export expectations dropped to -3.9 from -3.0 in May. "The tariff threats from the U.S. are still on the table. An agreement between the EU and the U.S. has yet to be reached," Klaus Wohlrabe, head of Ifo surveys, said in a statement. "This uncertainty is lowering exporters' expectations." President Donald Trump has announced wide-ranging tariffs on trade partners and wants to reduce the U.S. goods trade deficit with the European Union. The trade barriers have alarmed German industry, including carmakers, who worry about the impact on their crucial export business. The two sides are in talks in a bid to reach a deal, but European officials are increasingly resigned to a 10% rate on "reciprocal" tariffs being the baseline in any agreement, five sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters last week.
Bloomberg
24-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
German Business Outlook Hits Two-Year High on Economic Optimism
By Updated on Save German companies are the most upbeat about the economy in more than two years as an imminent boost to public spending outweighs concerns over US tariffs and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. An expectations index by the Ifo institute rose to 90.7 in June from a revised 89 in May. The reading is the highest since April 2023 and exceeds the 89.9 median estimate in a Bloomberg poll of analysts. A measure of current conditions also rose.
