The Tech Talent Gap in Latin America: Data Every Company Needs to Know
The Talent Gap tech in Latin America is no longer a problem exclusive to IT departments. Today, it is a factor that affects the growth, innovation, and competitiveness of companies throughout the region. The problem is not only a lack of specialized talent; there is also a significant gap between the skills the market demands and those that are actually available. The result is clear: hard-to-fill vacancies, slower digital transformation, and greater pressure on existing teams.
The region is making digital strides, but not at the same pace as its demand for talent
The World Economic Forum notes that in Latin America and the Caribbean, only about two-thirds of households have internet access, below the OECD average. At the same time, digitalization is already seen as one of the main drivers of labor market transformation in economies such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. In other words, business demand for digital skills is growing in a region where access and training opportunities remain uneven.
This tension between technological progress and a limited supply of talent explains why the gap has become so apparent. The IDB warns that Latin America and the Caribbean need a clearer strategy to develop digital skills, especially among the economically active population, in groups at higher risk of exclusion, and in the training of digital technology specialists. Furthermore, it emphasizes that closing the gap involves not only basic digital literacy but also preparing talent to secure employment, improve their employment situation, and meet the demand for specialists, while reducing the gender digital divide.
The region is making digital strides, but not at the same pace as its demand for talent
Data from the Future of Jobs Report 2025 show that the skills shortage is already a major barrier to business transformation. Globally, 63% of employers identify the skills gap as the main barrier to transforming their business between 2025 and 2030. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the business community’s response is even clearer: 84% of employers plan to train or upskill their own workforce to meet the growing demand for digital and technological talent.
The same analysis by the World Economic Forum reveals another important trend for businesses: in the region, eight out of ten companies expect to improve talent development within their teams over the next five years, but only slightly more than a third believe that the availability of talent will improve in the open market. In other words, many organizations no longer trust that the market alone will resolve the tech talent shortage.
Furthermore, the pressure is not uniform. In Colombia, for example, 65% of employers identify the skills gap as a key barrier to transformation, while 61% also point to outdated or inflexible regulatory frameworks. In Brazil, nearly nine out of ten companies plan to invest in upskilling their workforce in the coming years. This reinforces an important point: the competition for tech talent will not be resolved through recruitment alone, but through internal training and retention strategies.
The tech roles that will see the most growth are not the traditional ones
Another point that every company should be aware of is that demand is not limited solely to developers or software engineers. The World Economic Forum identifies big data analysts and specialists in artificial intelligence and machine learning as some of the fastest-growing jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean. At the same time, the region is also seeing a greater need for soft skills such as leadership, social influence, resilience, and creative thinking.
This is a game-changer for Human Resources and business leadership. The tech talent gap should no longer be viewed solely as a lack of technical expertise. Companies need professionals who combine digital skills with communication, continuous learning, adaptability, and the ability to work across disciplines. The challenge, therefore, is not to hire “more tech talent,” but to hire and develop talent capable of operating in rapidly evolving digital environments.
Cybersecurity: Concrete Evidence of a Talent Shortage
If a company wants to understand what the tech gap looks like in real terms, the cybersecurity sector is particularly useful. The OECD analyzed nearly 14 million online job postings in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico to study the demand for cybersecurity talent. Its key finding is striking: between 2021 and 2022 demand for these roles grew strongly in all three countries, and in Chile and Mexico it grew at a faster rate than other occupations.
The specific data illustrate the scale of the phenomenon: demand for cybersecurity professionals grew by 28.7% in Chile, 20.9% in Colombia and 64.6% in Mexico. In Mexico, moreover, positions for cybersecurity architects and engineers accounted for 34% of the sector’s job openings; in Colombia, cybersecurity analysts were the most common role.
Latin America
If a company wants to understand what the tech gap looks like in real terms, the cybersecurity sector is particularly useful. The OECD analyzed nearly 14 million online job postings in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico to study the demand for cybersecurity talent. Its key finding is striking: between 2021 and 2022 demand for these roles grew strongly in all three countries, and in Chile and Mexico it grew at a faster rate than other occupations.
The specific data illustrate the scale of the phenomenon: demand for cybersecurity professionals grew by 28.7% in Chile, 20.9% in Colombia and 64.6% in Mexico. In Mexico, moreover, positions for cybersecurity architects and engineers accounted for 34% of the sector’s job openings; in Colombia, cybersecurity analysts were the most common role.
Overall, the cybersecurity talent gap in Latin America is an urgent issue: the region faces a shortage of 329,000 specialists, representing a significant portion of the global shortfall of 4.8 million. This shortage has direct consequences, as 86% of organizations suffered at least one intrusion in 2024, while 58% report difficulties in finding talent in networking and security—the most scarce profile in the sector. In this context, it is worth noting that women account for only 1 in 4 cybersecurity professionals, highlighting not only a gender gap but also a huge opportunity for more women to enter a sector that urgently needs them.
For companies, the message is clear: when emerging roles require prior experience, certifications, and specialized technical expertise all at once, the talent pipeline narrows. While this can be useful for screening candidates, it can also exacerbate the shortage if the organization fails to create intermediate pathways for entry, learning, and growth.
AI: The Next Wave of Pressure on the Labor Market
Compounding this situation is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. The World Bank reports that between 2021 and 2024 job openings requiring AI skills grew 16% in upper-middle-income countries and 11% in lower-middle-income countries, compared to 2% in high-income countries. For Latin America, where several major economies fall into the upper-middle-income category, this suggests a clear acceleration in demand for talent with AI-related skills.
The World Bank itself warns that low- and middle-income countries face serious challenges in adopting AI at scale, and that one of the critical prerequisites for achieving this is skills—that is, the skills needed to use, adapt, and develop these technologies. For Latin American companies, this means that the talent gap not only affects the present; it also determines the speed at which they will be able to capture value in automation, advanced analytics, and applied artificial intelligence.
What should a company do in the face of this gap?
The first conclusion is that continuing to recruit using traditional criteria is no longer enough. If the market is tight, requiring prior experience in everything, more certifications, better English skills, more tools, and greater specialization for entry-level positions only further reduces the actual pool of available candidates. The second conclusion is that the tech talent shortage cannot be solved simply by “buying” talent on the market; more and more companies will have to train, develop, and retain it internally.
A more realistic corporate response involves four key areas: hiring with a greater focus on demonstrable skills, creating entry pathways for junior talent, investing in upskilling and reskilling, and engaging with ecosystems of technical training, certifications, and emerging talent. This approach is consistent with what both the IDB and the World Economic Forum are already highlighting: the region needs better digital skills strategies, and companies are beginning to recognize that a significant part of the solution will lie within their own organizations.
Conclusion
The Talent Gap tech in Latin America is neither an isolated perception nor a passing trend in business discourse. Recent data reveals a clear pattern: increasing digitalization, a shortage of skills, rapid expansion in areas such as cybersecurity and AI, and companies that already recognize they will need to invest more in developing their own talent. Those who understand this first will have a competitive advantage. Those who ignore it will likely face more open positions, higher hiring costs, and a slower digital transformation.
Sources:
- Fortinet 2025 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report
- ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2024
- 🌐 Official website: https://www.isc2.org/Insights/2024/10/ISC2-2024-Cybersecurity-Workforce-Study