The covid pandemic has resulted in many employees being allowed to work from home. Zoom has replaced physical meetings. Employees can stop their current tasks, connect, participate in a meeting, and quickly resume their work. This reduces time wasted with travelling to conference sites and the associated costs, such as catering. Internet speeds have improved, and employees have options such as mobile hot spots and home internet that can be used for connectivity. Files can be uploaded and shared via the cloud. 

These tools also assist independent workers like freelancers to conduct their business functions from home. It has been projected that by 2027, 60% of the workforce will be independent. These self-employed workers benefit from technology to increase efficiency such as time trackers that create timesheets that let them know where they are wasting time or being productive.

Digital nomads are people who have the technological resources to work from anywhere in the world. They are self-employed, often European, and choose to live and work in different places. iDgital nomads use software such as a virtual network connection to access the internet. 

For example, Malta, a very popular destination for digital nomads, has made provisions for digital nomads who fit these groups: they work for an employer abroad, they are shareholders or partners for a business that is registered in another country, and they are self-employed and service clients from foreign countries. Eligibility criteria include being a Third Country National (TCN), having the telecommunications technology to work from any location, and earning a gross monthly income of €2,700 minimum plus 20% for each family member that resides with them. They must prove that they stay in a Maltese residential property and must have a valid passport. A digital Malta nomad visa is very different from a residential program. A residence program requires the applicant to purchase a property as means of qualifying for residency.