If on the one hand structural smart working cuts costs for companies and saves families, on the other it puts jobs at risk. The Italian enterprises of commerce, tourism and services, crafts and small industry take stock of this way of working.
According to the dossier prepared by Confesercenti, entitled “Change jobs, change cities”, focused on the effects of smart working on businesses, families and companies, a structural remote work scenario will have a negative impact, with the closure of almost 21 thousand activities and the loss of over 93 thousand employees, in particular in public businesses and hospitality.
At the same time, the reduction of personnel in presence can bring significant savings for companies, from the costs incurred for the purchase and rental of the premises to those of the consumption of electricity and gas, transport and travel and the whole. of indirect costs. In particular, a structural remote working scenario could generate savings for the entrepreneurial system of around 12.5 billion euros per year.
With structural smart working 4.9 million workers do not move from home
With smart working, the survey found, the large part of the reduction in spending would be concentrated in large cities that have advanced tertiary activities. For these centers there could be a recovery in holiday tourism but a structural decline in work-related flows: it is precisely the most densely populated cities that have more activities that can be carried out remotely (about 45%), while in the cities minors, this percentage is around 20%. Overall, in a structural smart working regime, on average, about 4.9 million workers a day would no longer move from home. Of these 1 million who use public transport.
Less than 9.8 billion household spending
Mobility, but not only. Smart working affects consumption habits and the type of family spending. Those who work remotely spend more on technology to work from home; less for personal care and clothing; moreover, it consumes fewer meals out, uses less transport and accommodation activities but at the same time increases the expenditure for food products and households. The balance between higher and lower consumption, however, is negative: if it became structural, smart working would lead families to spend -9.8 billion euros a year compared to pre-Covid pandemic levels.