Mexico’s tech talent is a diverse and experienced bunch. Our latest report provides a multi-dimensional view of the country’s IT industry. English for developers is an indispensable skill. This year, our report found that out of all the tech professionals working in the country, 47.4% speak English at an advanced level or higher.
Our IT salary guide provides an in-depth view on a tech talent pool that has become a point of interest to companies looking to nearshore or outsource development. Mexico and Latin America have become hotspots for hiring rising tech talent thanks to various factors including increased demand, a tech talent shortage in the U.S., high U.S. developer salaries, and others.
Mexico’s Tech Professionals’ English Fluency and Other Characteristics
In today’s job market, a candidate’s successful hiring depends on several factors. When it comes to tech roles, the hiring landscape is equally complex and competitive, as candidates must show a proficiency in technical skills and soft skills necessary to do the job.
Because of the recent increase in remote hiring and remote teams, employers have to consider other characteristics of the talent they hire. One of the main advantages of the remote work revolution is the ability for companies to dip into new talent pools and reach into global tech communities to diversify their teams and expand their operations to new regions. This, of course, comes with its own set of challenges.
One of the challenges is ensuring that tech professionals have the needed skills to adapt to— or work with— other developers, engineers, or team members.
In Mexico, computer science and programming students are encouraged to take English as part of their education. Many others choose to work on their English on their own and expand their skills, knowing that English proficiency will open up more doors in the job department.
The demand for English training in Mexico has expanded exponentially in recent years and extends far beyond the computer sciences field. Today, about half of Mexican students receive English language training. According to the Mexico Daily Post, about 24 million people are studying English in the country.
So what does English proficiency look like among Mexico’s tech professionals?
Most tech professionals receive some kind of English education as part of their college studies. Many, however, go out and get additional English certifications via online courses and training programs.
These English certifications include training such as the TOEFL. The TOEFL is an official standardized English test that measures English ability and is accepted in English-speaking universities as a requisite for entry. It specifically measures proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening to non-native speakers and has been around since the 1960’s from the Center for Applied Linguistics.
When it comes to Mexican software developers and engineers, the TOEFL seems to be the most widely used test. Others also used include the DUO Lingo English test and the Cambridge test. DUOlingo is also accepted in many English-speaking universities.
As shown from our previous Tech Salaries reports, the English proficiency level is a major factor in determining salaries and hiring outcomes for Mexico’s tech talent. Our 2022 Mexico Tech Salaries report showed that those with an advanced English level earn about 130% more than those with an intermediate level. This fact alone leads many tech professionals to pursue advanced English studies and immerse themselves in the language. This impetus to learn leads to a community of tech professionals who have high rates of English proficiency all around.
How Does This Number Affect Companies Hiring Remote Developers in Mexico?
Remote tech teams depend on solid communication. Effective and efficient communication can be a challenge among native speakers or those working within the same country. When it comes to companies outsourcing development, one major factor is ensuring that communication will not be hindered by language barriers.
Other Unique Findings From Mexico’s Tech Professionals
In addition to information about their English level, our survey revealed other key characteristics about what makes Mexico’s tech talent unique. One of these was the level of education common among the tech professionals in Mexico. The survey revealed that Mexico’s tech talent is quite educated, having high levels of college degrees.
Below is a chart illustrating the education level among Mexico’s tech workers.
The fact that more than 50% of Mexico’s tech professionals possess a bachelor’s degree means that the tech community in the country is highly educated and trained in some of today’s most sought-after technologies, programming languages, frameworks, and more. Several of Mexico’s top technical skills are highly rated and renowned, having a reputation for rigorous curriculum and real-world training.
How do these numbers compare to the U.S.?
According to Stack Overflow’s 2022 developer survey, out of professional developers, 47.9% have a Bachelors degree and 23.95% have a masters degree.
Source: Stack Overflow 2022 Developer Survey
Get to Know Mexico’s Tech Talent Community and Make the Best Hiring Decisions
When hiring remote developers in Mexico, essential information and data help companies make sound hiring decisions and better understand the hiring landscape they are working in.
After years on the ground in Mexico, CodersLink has built a community of more than 25,000 vetted developers. Within that time, we have done four in-depth studies on the tech landscape in the country and taken a yearly snapshot of who these tech professionals are, what they are working on, their skills, and their preferred jobs.
You can download this year’s Mexico Tech Salaries report and get the full picture of what’s happening in the Mexico IT industry. Let us know if we missed something or what data you would be interested in learning about!
