Telemigration : Digitally enabled globalisation of services

This research project focuses on a newly important form of globalization – the hiring of foreign freelancers via digital platforms.

Online freelancing platforms have created new ways of offshoring service tasks by enabling firms to find, hire, manage, and pay foreign-based freelancers with reduced cost and increased flexibility. Together with other advances in digital technology, they are making it easier for people sitting in one nation to provide services in another nation – we call it “international telecommuting”, or “international telemigration”. They have opened up markets that were almost completely closed to foreign competition and are growing at a significant rate. In this way, online freelancing is creating many new opportunities for sufficiently-skilled service workers in emerging markets.

With an initial focus on the Colombian labour market, this project aims to produce an understanding of occupations where service-sector workers and micro firms might most easily expand their export activity. 

In partnership with Colombia + Competitiva initial research was conducted from November 2020 to March 2021 as a contribution to the Colombian Internationalization Mission, a government-led initiative that aims to generate new avenues to connect Colombia to the world. The results were presented in the research paper below and discussed in two workshops on Telemigration and Digitally Enabled Service Exports covering: ‘Opportunities for Colombia’ and ‘Opportunities and risks as a pathway for development’.

Stay tuned for next steps!