If one could summarize the importance importance of free trade zones in Colombia, the region and the worldthe region and the world in one word, it would be growth, because there are several parties that benefit from the existence of these special territories. There are great profits for businessmen, the environment, science, technology, the investment world and thousands of families of low and middle socioeconomic strata. Precisely, today you will know with us what is the impact that free trade zones have in our country, join us!
Impact of Free Trade Zones in Colombia
Free trade zones in Colombia have been characterized since their inception as important development poles for different sectors of society. They are not only focused on the generation of employment, they also make visible territories that were not taken into account before, so it is not only the companies, but also the territories themselves that benefit from the existence of free zones in the country.
Other aspects that are greatly benefited by the work carried out from special territories by the free trade zones and the companies that set up there are:
Employment Generation
Undoubtedly, this is a vital aspect that responds to the impact of free zones in Colombia. free trade zones in Colombia.. All the production that is carried out within the companies located in free trade zones requires a large labor force to meet the demand and it is at this moment where the generation of employment in the surrounding municipalities where the free trade zones are installed, begins to occur.
The most important thing here is that there are not only job openings for the professional population or those with postgraduate studies, but there is also room for those with lower levels of education such as technicians, technologists and even high school graduates, since for some operational functions it is not necessary to have a higher education.
Likewise, for those workers with the lowest level of educational preparation, free trade zones often provide flexible working hours, among other benefits, so that their employees can improve and achieve a more complete preparation that will give them the possibility of improving their lives.
The generation of stable and lasting employment provided by the free trade zones in Colombia free trade zones in ColombiaThe generation of stable and lasting employment provided by free trade zones in Colombia also offers the possibility for workers to acquire goods that improve their quality of life, such as their own home, means of transportation, among others. In effect, free trade zones are a fundamental instrument to maintain the economic stability of employees.
Statistically speaking, thanks to the existence of free trade zones in Colombia, more than 147,000 jobs have been generated and this is a figure that tends to increase over time, taking into account the boom that free trade zones are increasingly acquiring in our country.
In the case of Zona Franca de Occidentecurrently we are fortunate to employ a total of 13,052 people directly and indirectly and we have the goal of reaching 73,000 jobs in 10 years.
Foreign Investment
The foreign investment is another important aspect of the free trade zones in Colombia, since it boosts the economy. It has exceeded 47.5 billion pesos in investments and, like the figure for employment generation, this tends to rise over time due to the increase in the production of the companies installed in the free zones. On the other hand, investments in science, technology and innovation have exceeded considerable ceilings, surpassing 11,000 million pesos.
A situation that deserves to be mentioned at this point is that thanks to the foreign currency that the large amount of purchases abroad leaves in our country, it is appeased precisely by all the money involved in foreign investment projects of any kind.
Colombia is one of the top 30 business destinations according to the Unctad and the third country with the highest reception of foreign capital and projects in Latin America. The existence of free trade zones in Colombia, plus other external initiatives that the country has, are precisely what has led us to currently have these advantages over other territories in the region.
That is why foreign investment is so important not only for the free trade zones but also for the economic strengthening of our country. In Western Free Trade Zone we also have foreign investors that contribute to all these figures mentioned above, so from our park we are also working tirelessly in the economic growth of Colombia.
Sustainability
Care for the environment is one of the pillars of the free trade zones in Colombia. All of them are committed to work with different environmental initiatives that mitigate the impact that all the industrial production developed within the free trade zones leaves on nature.
The commitment to green production, clean energy, sustainable construction, circular economy, reforestation projects and programs with the communities of influence, are just some of the initiatives that are developed in the free trade zones of our country to cause the least possible damage to the environment.
At Zona Franca de Occidente we are also committed to caring for our environment and that is why we have strategically designed projects so that we can take care of nature responsibly.
One of them is our rainwater pond, with which we have the capacity to collect 28,000 m³ of this liquid to be distributed around the park. We also have a domestic wastewater treatment plant, among other environmental initiatives that have a positive impact on our surroundings.
In addition, we are one of the two free trade zones in Colombia that belongs to the Ecoindustrial Parks program, which is led by UNIDO. On the other hand, with this same organization we were recognized for promoting the approach of resource efficiency and cleaner production; we are an Eco-industrial park that is committed to environmental care, it is for this reason that we are constantly working on generating new projects that continue to enhance our environmental footprint, so that we can not only offer benefits to all those companies that are installed in our park, but also to our natural environment.
Support to MSMEs
MSMEs are micro, small and medium-sized companies, which are established by entrepreneurs who wish to have economic stability and therefore have sufficient capacity to provide formal jobs to more people in need.
These types of companies are fundamental in the country, since they counteract social problems such as labor informality and unemployment. They also make a significant contribution to the economy and internationalization, since they represent 10% of Colombia's current exports per year.
These companies have the capacity to generate more than 17 million jobs and are constantly on the move, since a person who owns a microenterprise generally wants to become a small business and so on, expanding its size and productivity as much as possible.
Free trade zones in Colombia today have opened the doors not only to large foreign entrepreneurs, since 90% of the users of free trade zones are MSMEs from different sectors that are daily generating more and more formal jobs for Colombians of all social classes. Hence the great impact that free trade zones have on the industrialization of our country.
From Zona Franca de Occidente we are also contributing to the growth of Colombia. We encourage foreign investment in different sectors, we have competitive employability rates and of course, we work daily to take care of our environment while providing excellent quality services to all our customers. Contact us! And learn how you can be part of this great family and invest in a completely profitable business for you and your company.
