How Latin America Became the Top Location for Tech Development Talent

In the last few years, Latin America’s economies shifted from agriculture and manufacturing to the tech industry, with North American venture capitalists (VCs) pouring funding into promising startups. These VC investments made software development very attractive to the young, educated, and talented. Many of the over 1 million software engineers in Latin America have experience working remotely for US companies with the rise of nearshore outsourcing.

The region’s talent pool covers the full range of skills and programming languages that are sought after by multinationals, but due to lower costs of living, developers will often work for around 50% less than those with equivalent experience in the US. Such rates are still around double the average wage in their own countries and allow them and their families a high standard of living.

While firms looking for LatAm talent can headhunt developers individually, most find it more effective to contact software development agencies in countries such as Brazil and Argentina. These agencies field teams of experienced developers with a proven track record, manage the talent sourcing and administration, and provide good value on a range of projects.