Latin America. In the region, the demand for professionals with ICT skills will exceed the supply and 449,000 full-time employees will be needed by 2019, according to the study on Networking Skills in Latin America, commissioned by Cisco to the company IDC.
This gap makes companies and governments face the challenge of finding professionals with the right skills, which allow them to drive innovation to be competitive globally.
The study analyzes the availability of professionals with ICT skills in the region between 2015 and 2019 in 10 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. In 2015, there was a gap of 474,000 network professionals in the region and, although this represents a slight decrease of 1.4 percent in demand forecast for 2019, the evolution of networks and the path to digitalization represent new professional challenges, requiring broader skills to develop and manage robust and flexible network infrastructures.
Skills needed in emerging networking technologies include video, cloud, mobility, data centers and virtualization, big data, cybersecurity, IoT, and software development; in addition to basic networking skills such as knowledge of switching and routing, security, wireless networks, unified communications and collaboration.
Additionally, the ICT professionals who are required must develop other non-technical skills such as English language proficiency, teamwork, problem solving, project management, creativity and innovation, communication skills and an entrepreneurial attitude. This shows that networking professionals need to combine technical and non-technical skills to support the increasingly complex business environment.
Another relevant fact in the study is related to the inclusion of women. On average, female participation in networking teams in organizations is 13.3 percent; and there are 15.7 percent of companies that do not have women in their work teams in this area. According to UNESCO, women account for 31 percent of the total number of students in Computer Science and Engineering careers in Latin America, so there are still opportunities for improvement in this area.
The gap detected by country in the study is as follows:
- Argentina: In 2015 it had a shortage of 13,580 full-time employees (FTE) with networking skills and by 2019 it is expected to be 12,771. In the case of professionals with skills in emerging technologies, the gap will be 82%.
- Brazil: In 2015 it had a shortfall of 195,365 FTE and for 2019 it is expected to be 161,581. In the case of professionals required in emerging technologies the gap is 59%
- Chile: In 2015 it had a shortage of 19,513 FTEs and in 2019 it will be 5,302 and will have a gap of 79% of professionals with skills in emerging technologies
- Colombia: In 2015 it had a lack of 28,530 FTE and in 2019 it will be 25,195 FTE. The lack of professionals with skills in emerging technologies will be 66%
- Costa Rica: In 2015 it had a shortage of 4,898 FTEs and in 2119 it will be 3,566, with a gap of 74% of professionals with skills in emerging technologies
- Ecuador: in 2015 it had a lack of 8,669 FTE and in 2019 it will be 9,201. And it will be 62% the gap of professionals required with skills in emerging technologies
- Mexico: in 2015 it had a shortfall of 157,934 FTE and in 2019 it will be 148,052. And it will have a gap of 49% of professionals with skills in emerging technologies
- Peru: In 2015 it had a shortage of 15,352 FTEs and by 2019 it will be 17,148, with a gap of 94% of professionals with skills in emerging technologies
- The Dominican Republic in 2015 had a shortfall of 6,090 FTE and in 2019 it will be 6,639. The lack of professionals with skills in emerging technologies will be 65%
- Venezuela: In 2015 it had a lack of 7,826 FTE and for 2019 the figure will be 23,167.
According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), on average, countries in Latin America that increase broadband penetration by 10 percent have an associated increase of 3.19 percent of their gross domestic product. For this reason, among others, it is very important to make a joint effort between academia, government and the private sector to contribute to improving the number of professionals with ICT skills that help accelerate economic growth, improve productivity and allow the creation of new jobs.
Study methodology
IDC conducted 760 interviews in 10 countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Interviews were segmented by industry vertical and segment sizes: government, healthcare, education, telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail, media and broadcasting, publishing, travel, transportation and distribution, resources and services, and companies with more than 100 employees.
Respondents were selected based on their responsibilities in infrastructure and management networks, involved in network design, operation and maintenance, installation and support.
The interviews were conducted in the respondents' native language (Spanish and Portuguese). To estimate the skills gap in networks, IDC designed a model that considered continuous IDC research practices about networks and information technologies, as well as data sources with interview results to provide an accurate view of the supply and demand of skills.
