“We currently have a preliminary record of around 21,000 public administration workers undertaking telework,” said the minister in response to deputies, during a hearing within the scope of the discussion in the specialty of the State Budget proposal for 2023 (OE2023).

Mariana Vieira da Silva said she did not, however, have data on the payment of expenses associated with teleworking, indicating that the Directorate-General for Administration and Public Employment (DGAEP) “does not have to be informed”.

Following the use of teleworking during the covid-19 pandemic, the labour law was amended with a view to regulating this regime, starting to provide for the payment of additional expenses including energy, internet, among other costs.

At the beginning of the year, when teleworking became mandatory again due to the evolution of the pandemic, the then Minister of Public Administration, Alexandra Leitão, indicated in parliament that the number of civil servants in telework would be around 40,000.