If the pandemic has taught businesses that their employees can work at home, how long will it be before those companies figure out that those same jobs can be performed by people in Manilla or New Dehli?

They probably already have.
Business is always looking at cost cutting have to keep those profit margins up, and who cares about the working class as long as the top keep getting richer that is all that matters right?

I was just thinking about all the tech people relieved that they can escape the horrific housing costs here. As they gleefully decide to move elsewhere (to drive up housing expenses in their new locations), I wonder if this question occurs to any of them?

Most businesses have specialty knowledge that can’t be outsourced, but some of it can, absolutely.
You must have read the same article I did about Cali tech companies saying they will go back to physical locations instead of the work from home model.

Even so, the one thing certain is that those places have now discovered from unquestionable necessity just WHICH jobs can be done from home, and just WHOSE home does not appear paramount.

I would agree with everyone above, that they already have, and know who and what can be outsourced—but know that some of it cannot—as some of the employees really do need complete access to the place of business.

It seems to me that most outsourcing involves customer service, vending, and maybe expertise with the systems of the company itself. None of these, including Customer Service, can be performed well without a thorough understanding of the language, inferrances, idioms of the company culture and the culture of the clientele

I stopped using Cellular South (now C-Spire or Cease-Fire or something) because I could not get an English-speaker on line whom I could understand or could understand what my problem or situation was. Occasionally I would get someone who understood. but there were still definite communication problems.

Problems cannot be resolved when there are communication hindrances.

My husband’s company is making everyone come back to the office even though most employees have voiced they want to continue working from home. They have been working from gone for a year and their business has been booming during covid. They are saying some employees will be able to work from home one or two days a week.

I think with people in charge like my husband’s company it will take longer than you might think.

I’m guessing that eventually many companies will be allowing telecommuting, and companies insisting employees come to the office 5 days a week will lose employees to the competition. Coming to the office costs money. Costs transportation, clothing, lunch if you don’t bring your own, and babysitting. Working from home is cheaper for the company and the employee.

I think when you are not in-person, language difficulties are even more pronounced, so I don’t see a lot of work going overseas.