Covid-19 restrictions redefined labor relations in Latin America, increasing the prevalence of remote work in the continent by almost ten times, according to a recent study conducted by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Prior to the coronavirus crisis, less than 3 percent of the population was working from home. The rate jumped to somewhere between 20 and 30 percent after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March of last year.
The “Challenges and Opportunities of Teleworking in Latin America and the Caribbean” study states that, during the worst moments of the coronavirus crisis in Q2 2020, over 23 million people began working remotely.
ILO Director for Latin America Vinicius Pinheiro says the new form of labor should continue in the post-pandemic period, as the health crisis only served to boost existing trends.
In the meantime, the organization warns that not everyone is benefitting from the rise in remote work. The continent’s informal job sector is huge, leaving swathes of the population unable to work from home. The ILO says over 26 million jobs have been lost since the beginning of the pandemic.
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