Colombian Workers Research Articles

Immersion of Venezuelan Migrant Workers in Colombia

Objective: this research aims to determine the opportunities offered by various societies, which exercise employment contracts, focusing on subjects with migration circumstances, in this case Venezuelans; examining the global challenges and perspectives that a state assumes, the impact that this phenomenon causes on society, along with its consequences and the adaptation processes in the work environment. Theoretical Framework: The driving factors of migration are investigated from the economic, social, political and demographic order. Method: A socio-legal approach and a qualitative paradigm are used, since the information is collected and selected through reading articles, bibliographies and virtual and in-person meetings. Ideas were exchanged and the different research that was found to contribute to the development of the central theme was socialized. Results and Discussion: The main reasons for migration and the working conditions that the state grants to migrants were determined. Research implications: A wide range of areas are covered, from public policies to labor and social practices. Originality/Value: This research examines various aspects from multifaceted perspectives with main relevance in political and social relations.

Sexual health beliefs and prevention of sexually transmitted infections among cisgender women sex workers in Colombia.

The stigma and social discrimination against cisgender women sex workers lead many of them to live in conditions characterized by social inequality, marginalization, persecution, and limited opportunities for sexual health literacy. Consequently, they are often compelled to establish a framework of preventive beliefs with little scientific validity, which they use to identify, mitigate, or avoid sexual health risks arising from their interactions with clients. This study investigates the sexual health beliefs that influence self-care practices aimed at preventing sexually transmitted infections among cisgender women sex workers in Colombia. We conducted a qualitative study framed in Hermeneutic Phenomenology. In-depth interviews and discussion groups were conducted with 34 cisgender women sex workers over 18 years of age in the center of the cities of Bogotá and Barranquilla in Colombia. Seven themes emerged from the reflective and inductive thematic analysis of the narratives: (1) popular habits for the prevention of contagion, (2) ocular assessment of genitals, (3) condom lubrication, (4) suspicion of a hidden infection in the client, (5) saliva and oral contact as a source of contagion, (6) avoidance of semen contact, (7) and trust in God as protection. The findings reflect the need for health and social professionals to promote participatory and inclusive cooperation with sex workers to update the framework of preventive beliefs that help them guide sexual health self-care with autonomy and self-efficacy, strengthening favorable beliefs and negotiating unfavorable ones. It is also essential to have a sex worker-informed sexual health policy that guides the promotion of sexual health that is sensitive to the needs and consistent with the risks of sex work and ensures friendly and non-oppressive preventive care environments for sex workers.

Implications of remote work in post-pandemic times: a gender risk profile in Colombian workers

PurposeRemote work has been intensifying in organizations, and the recent pandemic forced an immediate increase in it, ignoring its effect on the family. The purpose of this study was to analyze the work and personal-family life balance of Colombian workers during the lockdown and the effects on post-pandemic times.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative correlational study with a non-probabilistic sample of 1,069 participants: 349 (32.64%) men and 720 (67.35%) women.FindingsA total of 44.8% of the participants reported that their work interfered with their personal life; 61.6% reported that their work exceeded their habitual time; 72.2% felt comfortable with the remote work; and women perceived more affectation, as did participants with children. No interaction was present between these variables. There are more interruptions for workers with children younger than 12 years.Practical implicationsThere is satisfaction with remote work. However, there are difficulties regarding work-personal life balance that must be addressed to improve quality of life, with an emphasis on women and workers with children, especially younger children.Social implicationsThis study provides empirical evidence for the foundation of public and organizational policies aimed at managing remote work and the work-personal life balance to reduce the risk of loss of female labor force and effects on the quality of life of workers.Originality/valueStudies on the work-personal life balance with Latin American samples are scarce. This research contributes to the literature about satisfaction with working from home modality and the work-personal life balance during COVID-19 confinement, with a look at the differences by gender and the evaluation of the family conditions of Colombian workers, contributing to a regional perspective.

Impact of Venezuelan Migration on the Informal Workforce of Native Workers in Colombia

Colombia experienced a substantial increase in annual migration flow from Venezuela from 2013 to 2019, accumulating 1.7 million migrants by the end of 2019. According to migration data, 2016 was a breaking point in migration growth, with an increase of 137.57% compared with 2015 and at which time the influx of migrant workers began to be massive, rapid, and involuntary. In this regard, the research paper investigates, using a difference-in-differences model, the impacts on the labor market across different definitions of the informal workforce, testing the hypothesis that short-term labor migration increased (1) the number of employed individuals in companies with a workforce of fewer than five people, (2) the number of employed individuals not contributing to the social security system, and (3) the relative participation of the informal workforce in total employment from 2015 to 2018. The main results indicate an expansion in the labor market’s informal segment, increasing the number of non-returned native workers in the informal workforce without significant increases in the participation of informality in total employment. The results remain robust across various samples in models adjusted for departmental-, municipal-, and individual-level data. Following the economic theory, the research findings seem to follow a transmission mechanism in which migrant workers reduce labor costs and increase production in informal markets, providing better conditions to increase informal jobs for native workers. Several national and international stakeholders implementing income-generation alternatives in the border departments focusing on migrant employment services could find the research findings helpful in at least two aspects: (1) fighting cultural stereotypes upon which basis native workers tend to see migration as a threat to their current job holdings requires evidence that shows migrant workers contribute to economic growth and employment; (2) promoting better public policies to take advantage of initial conditions that favor labor integration of migrant workers such as cultural and language similarities among natives and migrants works better when there is evidence of the migration’s positive impacts.

Exhausting care: On the collateral realities of caring in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic

We explore care as a site of multiplicity and tension. Working with the qualitative interview accounts of nineteen health care workers in Colombia, we trace a narrative of ‘exhausting care’ in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Accounts relate exhausting care to working without break in response to extraordinary demand, heightened contagion concern, the pressures of caring in the face of anticipated death, and efforts to carry on caring in the face of constraint. We bring together the work of John Law (2010, 2011) on ‘collateral realities’ with Lauren Berlant’s (2011) thesis of ‘cruel optimism’ to explore care as a site of practice in which the promise of the good can also become materialised as harm, given structural conditions. Through the reflexive narrative of ‘carrying on’ in the face of being ‘worn down’ by care, a narrative which runs through health care worker accounts, we draw attention to the collateral realities of exhausting care as personal and political, at once a practice of endurance and extraction. We argue that the exhausting care that relates to the extraordinariness of the Covid-19 pandemic also resides in the ordinariness, and slower violence, of the everyday. The cruel optimism of care is a relation in which the labour of care reproduces a harmful situation.

Self-Care Practices and Associated Sexual Health Risks Among Cisgender Women Sex Workers in Colombia

IntroductionSexwork is a social phenomenon characterized by exchanging sexual services for money or goods. In Colombia, it generally occurs in clandestine and unsafe environments due to social exclusion related to stigma, discrimination, and criminalization of the occupation. Sex workers may experience health risks due to the ineffectiveness of some self-care measures in exercising sexual practices.MethodsThis qualitative, constructivist, hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the sexual health self-care practices of 34 cisgender women sex workers over 18 years of age in Colombia from the analytical lens of intersectionality. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews face-to-face and discussion groups between July 2021 and March 2022.ResultsAfter reflective thematic analysis with an inductive approach to the data, five general themes emerged: meaning of self-care promoting practices, relationship with the healthcare system, empowerment and personal autonomy, vulnerability of cisgender women sex workers, and low-risk perception.Conclusions and Policy ImplicationsThe findings show the need to promote and provide humanized, friendly, and self-sustainable sexual health care with educational strategies that favor the intersectional cooperation of preventive care linked to the body, conceptual, and cultural memory of sex workers, providing them with the necessary tools to manage sexual health risks from their situated and contextual reality with a perspective of rights, social justice, and gender equity.

The notion of informality: An approach to the socioeconomic improvement of informal workers in Colombia

Uno de los grandes retos en la mayoría de los gobiernos y Estados, es combatir la economía informal en razón a las afectaciones por evasión y elusión fiscal que ocasiona; el parque San Antonio en el municipio de Aguachica, es un lugar emblemático históricamente y por su privilegiada posición en el corazón del casco urbano de la segunda ciudad del departamento del Cesar. Sin embargo, grandes problemáticas ocasionan el aumento del trabajo informal en este sector, provocados mayoritariamente por el contexto político que le ha hecho el quite al ordenamiento territorial y a la promoción de las sanas prácticas que exige el desarrollo económico local. Así pues, se consideró de gran interés el desarrollo de un objetivo que caracterice las condiciones socioeconómicas de los trabajadores informales del Parque San Antonio en el municipio de Aguachica Cesar, proponiendo alternativas para la disminución de esta condición negativa, tanto para quien ejerce la informalidad como para el municipio. Esta investigación mantuvo un enfoque metodológico cuantitativo con un alcance descriptivo. El mayor logro fue la concientización de los trabajadores informales en la necesidad de formalizar sus puestos de trabajo a partir de la creación de una unidad organizacional tipo cooperativa, denominada COTIPSA” - Cooperativa de Trabajadores Independientes del Parque San Antonio. Esta acción mejora sus ingresos y repercute positivamente en sus condiciones socioeconómicas, el trabajo colaborativo de este colectivo aportará un ejemplo para otros espacios de la ciudad.

Acute Stress in Health Workers in Colombia 2017-2021: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: Analyze the presence of acute stress response after adverse events in human talent in Colombian health institutions from 2017 to 2021. Methods: Cross-sectional study of prevalence, carried out on 838 members of the human talent in health (professionals, technicians, technologists, and auxiliaries) of Colombian health institutions in the study period with the application of the EASE instrument. Univariate analysis using descriptive statistical techniques, chi-square and Student's t-test, and bivariate analysis with a Poisson regression model using the institucional SPSS v. 26. Results: The prevalence of adverse events in the last 5years was 33.8%, presenting levels of acute stress qualifying as Medium-high emotional overload at 21.91%, while extreme acute stress was at 3.53%. The prevalence of risk for presenting acute stress after being involved in an adverse event was PR: 1.30 (CI: 1.24-1.36). Conclusion: Acute stress in human talent after adverse events is limiting health and care capacity and must be efficiently addressed by health institutions. Psychosocial risk is linked within the framework of the patient safety program and the institutional occupational health and safety management systems.

Gender wage gap

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsA study of the gender wage gap among a sample of 2,144 millennial workers in Colombia, in South America, found that women face gender equality and a glass ceiling. The adjusted gender wage gap is 9.5% and the gap increases to nearly 14% among college-educated workersOriginality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Validation of the SBI in Colombian workers: A psychometric study in times of COVID-19

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la validez factorial del modelo psicométrico del Cuestionario para la Evaluación del Síndrome de Quemarse por el Trabajo (CESQT) en una muestra multiocupacional de trabajadores colombianos. Se hipotetizó un modelo de cuatro factores con base en la estructura factorial del modelo original. Los participantes fueron 153 trabajadores que desempeñan diversos roles en empresas ubicadas en Colombia. El diseño fue transversal descriptivo de una sola muestra, ex post facto. Se aplicó el CESQT que se compone de cuatro dimensiones: Ilusión por el trabajo (5 ítems), Desgaste psíquico (4 ítems), Indolencia (6 ítems) y Culpa (5 ítems). Las propiedades psicométricas fueron examinadas mediante Análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC) y fiabilidad (alfa de Cronbach). Los ítems presentaron valores estadísticos y psicométricos adecuados, así como las escalas. El modelo presentó un ajuste aceptable a los datos: GFI = .858, RMSEA = .066 (.051-.079), NNFI = .913, CFI = .927. La consistencia interna fue alta para todas las escalas del instrumento (? = .79 hasta ? = .87). Los resultados indican que el CESQT es un instrumento con suficiente validez psicométrica para evaluar el síndrome de quemarse por el trabajo (SQT) en el contexto cultural colombiano.

Factors associated with condom use among sex workers of venezuelan origin in ColombiaFatores associados ao uso de preservativo em profissionais do sexo de origem venezuelana na Colômbia

To describe the factors that determine condom use in Venezuelan immigrant sex workers in Colombia. A qualitative study was conducted with an interpretive hermeneutic approach, using semi-structured interviews developed in the Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley, Bogotá, and the Colombian coffee-growing region. Fifty-five interviews were conducted. Of the total number of people interviewed, 60% were cisgender men, 31% were cisgender women, and 9% were transgender women. The average age of the participants was 27 years. Sixty-nine percent were irregular migrants in Colombia. Only 11% were affiliated with the health system. It was observed that condom use is inconsistent among sex workers, depending on personal and social factors. The factors that influence condom use in sex workers of Venezuelan origin in Colombia are determined by various factors, both personal and social. Personal factors relate to knowledge, support networks, and risk perception, while social factors are associated with substance use, stigma and discrimination, and the places where sex work is done. Social factors are the ones that most influence inconsistent condom use in cisgender men and transgender women.

Prevalence of Anxiety Symptoms Among Health Care Workers in Colombia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in a Colombian HCW sample during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out by means of an online survey (May–June 2020). Respondents were HCWs in Colombia reached by a nonprobability sample. Zung's self-rating anxiety scale allowed the estimation of prevalence and classification of anxiety symptoms. ResultsA total of 568 HCWs answered the questionnaire, 66.0% were women, the mean age was 38.6±11.4 years. 28.9% presented with anxiety symptoms, of whom 9.2% were moderate–severe. Characteristics such as living with relatives at higher risk of mortality from COVID-19 infection (OR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.308–2.762), female sex (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.422–3.277), and personal history of psychiatric illness (OR: 3.41; 95% CI: 2.08–5.57) were associated with higher levels of anxiety. Access to sufficient personal protective equipment (OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.318–0.903) and age >40 years (OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.358–0.789) were associated with lower anxiety levels. ConclusionsAnxious symptoms are common in the population of HCWs faced with patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different strategies are required to intervene with subgroups at risk of developing higher levels of anxiety during the pandemic.

Millennials and the gender wage gap: do millennial women face a glass ceiling?

PurposeThis study aims to measure the gender wage gap among millennial workers in Colombia and determine if there is a marked wage difference between millennial women and men. Furthermore, this study analyzes whether millennial women face a glass ceiling, that is, whether there is a larger gender wage gap among workers earning relatively high wages.Design/methodology/approachThe study data included a sample of 2,144 millennial workers employed in 11 organizations located in the five main cities of Colombia. Oaxaca–Blinder econometric methods of wage decomposition were used to calculate both raw and adjusted gender wage gaps. The latter results in estimating the gender wage gap while controlling for observable characteristics related to individual, family, and labor. In addition, wage decompositions by education levels were carried out to approximate the extent of the glass ceiling among young workers.FindingsThe results show that millennial workers in Colombia face gender inequality in the labor market and that professional millennial women experience a distinct glass ceiling. The adjusted gender wage gap is 9.5%, and this gap increases with education level, increasing to nearly 14% among college-educated workers.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical results are supported by a self-report survey of millennial workers. An important limitation is that the data include millennial workers employed in the formal sector and exclude the informal sector (activities not regulated or protected by the state), which represents an important part of the economy in developing countries.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the empirical literature on gender wage inequality for younger workers. This paper is original in reviewing the gender pay gap in Colombia using a primary dataset. Most of the work in this area has been done in developed countries and this research adds to the findings that have had focused on those nations.

Seroprevalence of IgM and IgG anti-SARS-COV-2 and associated factors among agricultural workers in Colombia

BackgroundThe population of South America has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this region, during the year 2020, high seroprevalence percentages were reported, which have been associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of the population, mainly in urban areas. However, a relative lack of information on the dynamics of the pandemic in rural areas of these countries, where the population is more vulnerable, is still present. This study determined antibody prevalence against SARS-CoV-2 in urban and rural food producing workers in Colombia. MethodsA total of 1242 workers, urban and rural, linked to poultry, dairy, and meat production and supply chains, were analyzed through a sociodemographic survey and two serological tests against S and N proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Results78.7% were male. 50.9% of the participants were rural inhabitants, with an average age of 40.9 years old. 39.2% had IgM and IgG against SARS-CoV-2 S protein and 31.3% against N protein for the same virus; 83.6% had not been tested with an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 and 75.7% did not report symptoms related to the disease. The associated risk factors were low education, OR: 1.46, greater number of cohabitants, OR: 1.36, and contact with people infected with COVID-19, OR: 2.03. ConclusionsThe seroprevalences found suggest an important interconnectivity between rural and urban areas, where asymptomatic subjects and sociodemographic factors facilitate the virus' spread in the population.

How the Coronavirus Pandemic has Affected Gender Wage Inequality in Colombia

This article aims to compare how gender wage differences among Colombian workers have changed before and during the coronavirus pandemic. The parametric breakdown of Oaxaca-Blinder is performed based on microdata from the 2020 Large Integrated Household Survey and compared with the 2019 results. Among the results, the differential in hourly labor income against women has increased to 16% in 2020 versus 4% in 2019, especially in the lower part of the distribution. For both years and all income levels, most of the contribution to the gap is due to the unexplained part associated with discrimination. However, this effect is counterbalanced by women’s contributions, which are highly concentrated in the upper-income brackets.

UVR Exposure and Prevention of Street Construction Workers in Colombia and Germany.

(1) Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) poses a major risk factor for developing skin cancer after years of chronic exposure. The irradiation is strongly dependent upon the activity or occupation carried out, but also on the climate conditions at the workplace. Knowledge of both has been tested within the occupational group of road construction workers in Colombia and Germany. (2) The GENESIS-UV measurement system has been used at both locations for consistency. A number of workers in both countries wore an electronic data logging dosimeter for several months to deliver detailed information on UVR exposure. (3) It was found that in a tropical climate, UVR exposure remains constant throughout the year, while in a temperate climate seasonal effects are visible, superimposed by behavioural aspects e.g., in springtime. The daily distribution of the radiation shows a distinct dip, especially in the Colombian data. Derived data show the high fraction of working days exceeding a threshold set by the skin type. (4) Road construction work involves high UVR exposure. In both countries, preventive measures are required to reduce the personal exposure to a minimum. Exceedance of the minimal erythema dose (MED) suggests a possible enhancing effect, especially in fair skinned people. Intercomparison of UVR exposure at workplaces is possible between countries and climate zones, emphasizing efforts for global action against skin cancer.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of sleep of mental health workers in Colombia.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of sleep of mental health workers in Colombia.

Strengthening Rights of Gig Workers in Colombia and Brazil (DOS)

Federal Grants & ContractsVolume 46, Issue 8 p. 4-4 Grants alerts Strengthening Rights of Gig Workers in Colombia and Brazil (DOS) First published: 14 March 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/fgc.32268Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume46, Issue817 March 2022Pages 4-4 RelatedInformation

Mobility between Colombian cities is predominantly repeat and return migration

Internal migration is one of the main driving forces of a country's demography. Yet, migration is path-dependent, and critical characteristics of internal migration, including the propensity to keep moving and return to previous locations, are frequently ignored. Here, a model of city-to-city migration is constructed, where the movement of individuals is modelled using the frequency of distinct sequences or signatures. A key novel feature of the model is its ability to account for partial information on an individuals’ lifetime migrations. We fit this model to longitudinal data on 3.3 million workers in Colombia, including 1.4 million migrations, and compare signature frequency based on migration and return rates between men and women and between distinct age and income groups. Results show that the majority of people do not move in general, and nearly three out of four times that a person moves at least twice, they return to a previous city. A small group exhibits frequent migration, particularly the young and male. In contrast, women and mature people are less likely to move and more likely to return if they move. At a city level, people from small secondary towns are more likely to leave and not return than people from large metropolitan areas like Bogotá or Medellín.

Art workers in Colombia: Characteristics, symbolic consumption and social identity

PurposeTo explore the characteristics of Art Workers in Colombia, expressed in terms of lifestyles and consumption practices, as well as the relationship between symbolic consumption and the social identity of the group. Design/methodology/approachFor this quantitative study, the instrument called "Lifestyles and consumption practices", designed by the Konrand Lorentz University Foundation, was applied along with the incorporation of two new sections which evaluate symbolic consumption and social identity. The sample was intentional and represented 160 people, 80 of them corresponding to the Art Workers category and the other 80 to the Non-Art Workers category (mirror sample). FindingsIt is observed that Art Workers in Colombia represent a social group with unique characteristics (lifestyles and consumption practices) looking for symbols in the products which allow them to relate to their counterparts in order to strengthen their sense of belonging to the social group. Originality/ValueThis work contributes the literature of marketing with a new perspective of the Art Workers which separates them from their role as instruments of advertising strategies by linking them as consumers.