Stay at Home - Only 22 Percent of Mexicans Have That Privilege

Bumeran’s latest study examines what a home office in Latin America is like. The conclusion: 73 percent of companies have shut their doors, meaning workers are forced to work remotely. But those that work from home are all in a category of their own. People that work from home usually have higher paid jobs that can be done from another place to begin with. In Mexico, only 22 percent of workers have this privilege.

The University of Chicago researched what home office implies and came to the conclusion that several segments of the population cannot work from home. These include workers that perform essential jobs, as well as those who are not allowed to not go to their workplace and those who need the day’s wage to survive. Deputy Governor of Banco de México Gerardo Esquivel agrees: “The poorer the country, the fewer jobs that can be done from home,” he tweeted.

El Economista rounded up the jobs that can be done remotely, and those that cannot. The five sectors that have the most possibility of implementing home office are the following:

• Education
• Scientific, technical and professional services
• Business management and entrepreneurship
• Finance and insurance
• Information services

The five jobs that cannot be done remotely are:

• Transport and storage
• Construction
• Retail
• Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
• Accommodation and food services

In Mexico, many workers find themselves working in the latter five job types. This is, however, only the case in formal employment. An added barrier to home office is that many Mexicans work in the informal sector, which the United Nations Development Program has identified as a group that simply cannot afford to stay at home. A day without work is a day without income, meaning 24 hours without food. Therefore, the university’s study can be useful for society: by realizing which sectors of the economy can fend for themselves and which ones are vulnerable.