A peek on plugged-in employment

 For most people, outsourcing is often associated with call centers and “back office” support where certain processes (non-voice services) are being jobbed out overseas like accounting, data entry, human resource management and recruitment, IT, and many other none-core tasks. This part of the economy is touted as business process outsourcing or with its familiar acronym “BPO”.  If the informal equivalent of retail is the sari-sari store, “plugged-in employment” is a thriving industry in the internet economy in which the Philippines is a major contributor. 

Formally called “telecommuting,” it is also referred to as remote freelancing or virtual employment. Because it is informal, it is “unaccounted” as an industry. People who make a living in this part of the “virtunomy” (virtual economy) earn dollars but pay no taxes! But where are they? Well, you don’t actually notice or see them in cool offices because they like to work in their polka dot pajamas and in the comfort of their very beds -- no bundy clocks, no commuting. And best of all, no boss or supervisor behind their backs.  I know because I used to be a telecommuter myself and I am not ashamed to admit that I had virtually worked for another with an un-stitched ukay-ukay shorts as my usual and favorite attire (me grins).

There are thousands of jobs that are offered everyday in the internet. Virtual assistants, web design, programming, article and web article writing, social media marketing and management, search engine optimization, translation, statistical analysis, legal documentation and many others. But remote freelancers do not just accept any job. While most of them are multi-skilled, they are at least an expert in one or two fields. 

Before jumping into conclusion that it is the answer to your prayers to replace that dreaded nine-to-five job you’ve always hated, think again. People who are in this field of work do not have security of tenure. No health benefits and no assurance of payment.  While remote freelancing has its benefits, it is not without risks. Worse, the legal system cannot protect you whenever your client does not want to pay. I have had my share of the blues chasing payments from clients who just disappears in thin air. So if you’re embarking on such kind of work, be ready to face such eventuality.

While nascent and growing as an industry, its social impact is far and wide in terms of livelihood and opportunity. I have seen parents who have decently raised their families in virtual freelancing. I’ve seen young people who have rose from virtual to real broadening their markets in mainstream business. Thanks to the internet, many have made an honest wage from out of this windfall.  But remote freelancing is very much “underground.”

Not one law has ever been passed to look after the fate of telecommuters and their rights as contractors. Not one study has ever been initiated to look into the nature of their employment, the experiences of our professionals who find their subsistence therein and the support they get from the government if there’s any.

Plugged-in employment, while largely informal in our country, comprises a considerable chunk in our labor pool. Ipsos/Reuters reveals in their article last January that "one in five workers around the globe, particularly employees in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, telecommute frequently and nearly 10 percent work from home every day.” Which means, there are thousands of Filipinos out there waiting to be recognized as heroes in their own right. They are those who do not rely on government initiative to give them jobs for they can find it themselves. They are those who believe that one need not leave his/her family and country to work for an employer abroad. They are those who help ease traffic during rush hours by choosing to work at home reducing as well our need for gas to ferry us to work. Thus, they too contribute in helping the environment. Insignificant they may be today, but their impact is something worth looking.

Remember, the internet is growing and I long to see the day when telecommuting becomes mainstream; when virtual employees pay taxes and contribute to nation building; when we see graduates finding their way as entrepreneurs offering digital services to companies rather than just mere employees or paid contractors in the virtual world. But that depends when we begin to recognize their potential and contribution.

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