Remote work remains inaccessible for lower middle class, poor Brazilians, ZDNet says

Only a small percentage of lower middle class and poor workers in Brazil are able to work from home, ZDNet reported.

Of 4,500 Brazilians studied from March 2020, only 17.5 percent in the lower middle class and poor working class who maintained their jobs (14 million Brazilians are unemployed) were able to work remotely, ZDNet said, citing a study from Brazilian mobile advertising company Go2Mob and PR agency FirstCom.

Separate research from the FIA Business School found that most Brazilian companies are not subsidizing costs associated with remote working, ZDNet report. Nine percent are helping with internet costs, and 7 percent are paying for telephone costs.

A September 2020 Microsoft report on employees’ well-being found that Brazilian workers were experiencing the most burnout (44 percent, compared with 31 percent in the U.S. and 10 percent in Germany).