Telecommuting Workforce Growing Fast in Colombia

Telecommuting employees are becoming more commonplace in Colombia, according to a survey conducted by the country’s Center for Digital Consulting.
In a space of four years, between 2012 and 2016, the number of teleworkers in Colombia has tripled to 100,000 in the country, representing a 202% increase in the number of telecommuters.
Bogota has the largest amount of telecommuters in the country, with more than 50,000 people working from home, while Medellin stands close behind with 25,000.
The work-at-home culture has a huge support base in Colombia, with both government and private companies openly promoting the trend.
More than 1,740 Colombian companies participated in the study. A large majority of them said telecommuting improve their productivity and help them use resources efficiently.
Analysts say telecommuting helps to avoid traffic jams and serves the government’s goal to reduce carbon emissions. For companies, it helps save expenses in travel, training as well as organizing meetings. More than anything else it is an efficient way of utilizing modern ICT infrastructure.
These days, an increasing number of Colombian firms are deploying online technologies for arranging conference between employees, including executives. Thus, they are saving money as well as time. Telecommuting has even accelerated their decision-making process, according to a few interviewed for the survey.
Enthused by the study, ICT and Labor ministries have scheduled a workshop in Cali for next month. “Telecommuting offers benefits for both organizations and employees,” says the ICT ministry on its website, calling on businesses to allow work-from-home for as many of their employees as they can.