First oil shortages – Should employees work from home to save “black gold?”

The crisis in the Middle East has caused uncertainty in the energy market that is not calming down. Oil prices in Europe are skyrocketing, and the first shortages are also occurring. Economists Aleksandar Stevanovic and Goran Pecanac explained to Euronews Serbia whether working from home could contribute to saving “black gold.”

Stevanovic assessed that it made no sense to propose that employees work from home.

– First, this crisis will not last long. Second, the price of oil has not increased that much. Third, switching work from one mode to another requires additional costs – he said.

He pointed out that such decisions were not made when it came to short periods of time and when the risks were small.

– When it comes to the oil crisis, the only risk here is that someone will have to pay a little more. Secondly, people in Belgrade can use free public transport to commute – he noted.

By contrast, Goran Pecanac, a doctor of economic sciences, believes that any savings in energy, especially oil, are considered an efficient and justified measure from an economic point of view, given the current crisis in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine that has lasted for more than four years.

– In Europe, fuel prices have risen by about 35%, and in some countries even more, so working from home would be a good measure because it would significantly reduce the costs of going to and from work – he pointed out.

He added that the International Energy Agency (IEA) had officially recommended working from home as one of the key measures to mitigate the economic consequences of disruptions in the oil market.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

International Energy Agency

IEA

Aleksandar Stevanović

Goran Pećanac

working from home