Web-based Jobs Go Unfilled in Latin America says ILO

Many high-skilled jobs created in Latin America by online platforms such as Amazon and Cabify may have gone unfilled, partly due to lack of talent, according to a study jointly conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and ECLAC.

However, it is unclear as to how many high-tech jobs these platforms created and how many have remained vacant.

“A comparison of the composition of demand and supply for work on these platforms shows that demand tends to be higher than supply for tasks requiring high levels of qualification,” says the report.

“While in occupations involving less complex tasks (data processing or sales), supply is relatively higher.”

Among the roles the platforms created include software engineers and data scientists.

Most of the jobs created by the platforms are not covered by labour legislation in the region. “Although these forms of work may offer new job opportunities, they tend to make the labour market more precarious,” the report warned.

However, the platform jobs are increasingly gaining popularity in Colombia, Chile as well as some Caribbean countries.

Nearly 1% of the entire employed population in Argentina, Colombia and the Dominican Republic are engaged in online platform work.

Interestingly, some job-seekers interviewed by the ILO said they were thankful that the platforms gave them “the ability to leave unemployment behind”.