The post-pandemic boom to globally source talent has begun to include nearshoring talent from Latin America. Revelo is one company looking to aid in this strategy and released its first Latin America Remote Tech Talent Report analyzing data from more than 124,000 software developers from its 12-country talent network.

The company looked at demand for specific skills in the U.S. and the subsequent viability of Latin American talent in aiding the U.S. tech talent shortage.

The release shared key findings on in-demand talent [with full-stack, front-end, and back-end charting highest], education and specializations statistics, and language proficiency. Revelo co-founder and co-CEO Lachlan de Crespigny dove further into the report's most intriguing insights with SDxCentral, including its untapped talent pool despite time-zone compatibility with the U.S.

While 48% of tech teams had never hired remotely prior to the pandemic, 74% are hiring remotely now, “with an additional 7% looking to do so within the next six to 12 months,” according to Crespigny. 

The report also found similarities between the U.S. and Latin America, with more than two-thirds of Latin American tech talent having intermediate if not higher levels of English proficiency, including half of the English-proficient talent being advanced; and a significant majority of Revelo’s talent network residing within U.S. time zones. Time zone alignment was the most important factor being considered by U.S. tech leaders looking to hire remotely [along with English proficiency and quality].  

“No other region comes close to that level of alignment, which is critical for synchronous, efficient work that drives results,” he added.

Revelo’s report also suggests that compared to Asia and Eastern Europe, “Latin America was not as well understood or perceived as a hub for high quality tech talent,” Crespigny said.

“Regions such as Asia have been offering software outsourcing for a long time now," Crespigny said. "However, when you think about outsourcing as it manifested around and after the dot-com boom, [it] was primarily for the purpose of cost savings. The market is facing a completely different challenge today, which is a shortage of talent that companies are willing to pay competitive salaries for."

Crespigny noted that Brazil and Mexico are in the top 15 countries in the world for “the number of unicorns they’ve produced,” indicating a growth mindset and technical expertise needed to help meet U.S. demand. 

“With remote work having become the norm, all these facets of Latin America make it a natural choice for U.S.-based companies to tap into for incredible talent just south of the border," he added.