Here's just a few factors: – Security: possible to do background checks on citizens of your own country, easier to hold them responsible, less chance of rogue

Here's just a few factors: – Security: possible to do background checks on citizens of your own country, easier to hold them responsible, less chance of rogue employee, etc. – Communication problems: both in terms of poor communication skills being more apparent in limited telecommuting communication channels, and cultural differences (different norms of subordination, etc.). Language barriers and time zone differences also go here. – "Outsourcing" is a misnomer for what you describe, and has a poor reputation for a reason. Turns out hiring cheap incompetent sweatshop workers using an intermediary/broker is apparently not a good idea if you want a decent result. And quality workers are not as cheap as you'd expect in their home countries because they are a rare breed globally. – Telecommuting on the other hand, by which I mean hiring individual contractors to work remotely, can work out pretty well if you do quality control in-house. It will surely become more popular.