Previously considered a rare benefit, the 2020 pandemic marked the normalization of remote work across the globe. Despite a number of corporations rallying for a return to office, remote workers have stood their ground due to an abundance of benefits they receive. According to Forbes, 98% of a global sample of 3000 responders, wanted to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. Contemporary research by International Workplace Group (IWG), also showed 88% of employees cite hybrid work as a leading benefit they’d expect in a new role.
This emergent flexibility empowers people to reorder their lives and pursue other ambitions, preventing burnout and improving work life balance. This flexibility is perhaps most obvious through the advent of digital nomads, remote workers who travel to and work from a variety of different countries. Widening a country’s potential talent pool while simultaneously boosting tourism, countries are eager to issue legislation in support of this lifestyle. According to Citizen Remote, in 2023, 66 countries offer digital nomad visas, the most recent of which are Canada, Czech Republic and Sri Lanka.
But what does this mean for a country like Pakistan?
With the global recession at its peak and the rupee at an all time low, Pakistan is a compelling digital nomad destination, recommended by connoisseurs of workations such as Andy Sto. But for people on the ground, remote work translates to very immediate financial benefits such as saving oncommutes and landing jobs and opportunities with international businesses that allow them to earn in dollars, helping them rise above the tide of inflation.
Dr Umar Saif, Caretaker Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, stated, “A lot of Pakistan’s youth freelances internationally. It’s hard for them to find jobs here but through the help of various websites, they find opportunities to join the global workforce. However, it’s extremely hard for them to bring this money into Pakistan due to a lack of infrastructure…The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication has decided to establish coworking spaces, so the youth of Pakistan can boldly join the global economy.”
Being centrally located, coworking spaces reduce commute times, providing members with a convenient office space that helps them set their own routine. At Daftarkhwan we take this flexibility a step further by providing members with universal key card access to all our sites, so you can work from anywhere. Coworking spaces provide both, administrative ease and a cost-effective alternative to a traditional office.
Additionally, Daftarkhwan lets you set your own business hours by being open 24/6 and offering nocturnal packages across Daftarkhwan at Downtown (Lahore), Alpha (Rawalpindi), and North (Islamabad), creating space for members that may be working for international companies.
In one form or another, remote work is here to stay, providing businesses and employers the ideal opportunity to adapt and take advantage of such a readily available global talent pool while workers rejoice in diversifying what they can do with their time.