Who are Mexico’s IT Professionals & What Are Their Characteristics?

Mexico’s tech ecosystem has its own personality. This is a young, vibrant, and enthusiastic cohort of tech professionals seeking opportunities to work with the world’s leading innovations and technologies. 

As the trusted tech solutions partner in the region, here’s what we’ve learned about why Mexico stands out. 

The Nearshoring Phenomenon in Mexico 

Mexico is one of the top tech talent hubs in Latin America. In recent years, the nearshoring industry spotlighted Mexico as a beneficial region for many American companies. The nearshoring phenomenon has seen giants like Tesla and Phillips establish a presence there, as well as other car manufacturers producing electric vehicles in the country. The practice extends far beyond manufacturing. It spills over into tech and companies needing tech professionals. 

In January of 2023, the New York Times published a report that suggested that Mexico might just be the answer to supply chain issues uncovered during the Covid pandemic. Part of this is the expansive trade zone between the North American countries that creates a kind of interconnected network of supply chains and economic alliances that benefit the three countries. 

The Defining Characteristics of Mexico’s Tech Ecosystem 

For companies seeking to hire remote tech talent, there are always key questions revolving around what, who, where, and how. 

CodersLink can help answer these questions.   

Let’s start with the who. 

The Who– Who Are Mexico’s Tech Professionals? 

Mexico has a diverse tech talent pool. According to a recent report from Bloomberg Linea, there are approximately 326,000 working software developers in Mexico. Compared to the rest of Latin America, that puts Mexico in second place behind only Brazil for the country with most software developers. 

So, who makes up this cohort of tech workers? In Mexico, there is a growing number of tech professionals— not just developers—finding their way to management and other specialized tech roles. 

What is the experience among Mexican tech professionals? 

Because of Mexico’s long-term view on tech investment, they now have a talent pool that possesses a wide variety of seniority levels. Many of the early recipients of some of Mexico’s initial efforts to push tech in education have now been in the workforce for more than a decade. The experience and proficiency among tech professionals in Mexico looks a little like this:

Do Mexican software developers speak English well enough to join an international team? 

The answer is most possess some level of English proficiency. Mexico places a great emphasis on English education. Those software developers or engineers that graduate and even receive additional certifications will have higher English proficiency levels. Many companies often wonder what that level looks like and whether it’s good enough to interact and integrate successfully into an international or multicultural team operating both in the U.S. and Mexico. 

While most of Mexico’s tech talent pool is mostly males, the number of women in tech is steadily rising, as many programs and initiatives exist across Latin America to encourage young women to go into tech. 

As far as age, Mexico’s tech talent tends to be under 40 years old. The average age, however, is around 30-34 years old, indicating that many of the working professionals have already accumulated some work experience and time in the workforce. 

What is the educational background of Mexico’s tech professionals? 

Most of the country’s tech workers possess a bachelor’s degree or higher. 

The What? — What Does the Tech Ecosystem Look Like?

It’s not easy to sum up such a diverse workforce. Yet, every year, we try to provide an accurate snapshot with our Tech Salaries Report. We cover insights such as the top roles, top technologies and frameworks used, and more. 

As far as what the top roles are this year: we see a lot of overlap with the top in-demand roles in the United States. 

Here’s a snapshot:

U.S. companies looking to expand their tech teams or enhance their development team can hire Mexican tech talent in specialized and highly competitive positions.

The Where? – Where Should Companies Look for Remote Tech Talent in Mexico 

Another one of the leading questions we get from partner companies has to do with the location and where they might look for or source their next front end or back end developer. The answer is: it depends. Each Mexican region has its own characteristics. 

Like many Latin American countries, Mexico has become a remote first market. This means that the population of tech professionals and workers lean heavily towards remote work. 

Main tech hubs in Mexico:

Let’s begin with Mexico’s top tech hubs, where most of the tech talent is concentrated. This could be either because of the industries and large companies that are present in the region or thanks to the educational institutions that graduate hundreds of students, or both. 

Mexico City: Has a more professional, metropolitan, and corporate air with a growing  local startup ecosystem. Mexico City has always been the center for business in the country and has a lot of large enterprises working out of there. 

Guadalajara, Jalisco: A “techy” city that, over the years, has earned the label of Mexico’s Silicon Valley. This city has a busy scene with several major technical institutes and schools of higher education. The area is known for several fintech, social & leisure, and software and data startups. 

Monterrey: Monterrey is known as the “national capital of advanced industry” and is focused on consulting and supporting services. This city is the third largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is home to a startup ecosystem in the education and fintech sectors. 

Puebla: Another well-known manufacturing region, Puebla is home to the automotive industry but has growing momentum in the ecommerce and retail startup space. The state began implementing better incentives for small businesses. 

Does the average tech salary vary by region? 

The answer is yes. Like in the United States, tech salaries will vary based on region. The primary reason for this is the fluctuation in cost of living. Every region in Mexico is different and many can vary considerably. 

The average salaries by region based on our 2023 survey data are: 

The How?— How Does a U.S. Company Hire Mexican Tech Talent? 

Many companies are hesitant about reaching into new talent pools and the many legal and logistical implications that come with it. Yet, the process of hiring Mexican software developers and tech talent doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. When working with the right partner, companies have an expert guide into various aspects of the thriving talent community. 

As a talent solutions partner, CodersLink offers various options for companies, whether they want to expand their existing software development team, enhance their in-house team, or see opening up an office in Mexico in their near future. 

• Employment of Record: An employer of record is a hassle-free way to hire in another country like Mexico. By using an EOR, companies don’t have to open up an entity in the country where they are hiring. Instead, a company like CodersLink takes on the legal responsibility of hiring in the country while ensuring full compliance with labor laws and regulations. 
• BOT Model: The BOT model stands for Build-Operate-Transfer. It is an effective strategy for transformative growth. It is designed to provide companies a strategic path to solve complex scaling challenges. With these strategies, companies slowly build their teams in a compliant way, setting up the foundation for an eventual transfer and new entity in the country in question. 
• Hire Dedicated Remote Tech Engineers: If you just need to add a small team of one, three, five, or seven developers or engineers to your arsenal, we help source and vet the right one. We facilitate the hiring process and choose from four 25,000+ communities of vetted tech talent to ensure a good fit. 

The how really depends on who you work with in the region and how well they can guide you through the great potential that exists in the market. 

Talk to our Team of Experts and  Hire Mexico Software Developers and Engineers 

Hire in Mexico without the hassle. Here’s how you do it: Talk to an expert. Get market insights and information about the different solutions. Find the right team for you, and get to work! Start the process today.