Purpose This study aims to examine how teleworkers influence Brazil's economic structure. It shifts the focus from organizational adaptation to the systemic effects on employment, income, and sectoral demand, especially in knowledge-intensive services. Design/methodology/approach The study uses input–output (I–O) analysis with 2021 data, combining national accounts with microdata from household surveys (PNAD-C and POF). The study estimates type II multipliers disaggregated by demographics and uses the hypothetical extraction method to simulate the removal of teleworkers' labor supply and consumption from the economy. Findings The results reveal a structural asymmetry: the Brazilian economy is more sensitive to the withdrawal of teleworkers' consumption than to the withdrawal of their labor supply. Although professional services generate strong employment and income multipliers, technology-driven sectors like systems development create limited indirect jobs. Consequently, teleworkers' systemic weight is predominantly driven by their high-income consumption patterns rather than their role in production chains. Originality/value The paper offers a novel dual perspective, viewing teleworkers as both labor inputs and structural vectors of final demand. Through an empirical analysis, it demonstrates how a concentrated workforce alters sectoral dynamics through consumption patterns, thereby mirroring labor market inequalities within the I–O framework.
Leite et al. (Mon,) studied this question.