Remote working hits informal workers in cities

The COVID-19 has brought cities to a standstill and one of the crisis’ most visible effects the shift from an office-based system to work from home (WFH) arrangements. It is likely to have spillover effects on many sectors of the urban economy. The effect of this shift to a WFH culture on informal workers, who largely depend on formal sector demand, has not received much attention. In India, 80 to 90 per cent of the workers are employed in the informal or semi-informal sector. For many who work in the cities, livelihoods are heavily dependent on demand from an office-based working system.