To take advantage of the gap between the official dollar and the blue, many professionals turned to freelance work for companies abroad to have a salary in hard currency.
In this sense, the knowledge economy sector was one of the most affected, with companies of all sizes expressing the difficulty they had when hiring new employees because it was difficult for them to compete with the benefit of being paid in dollars.
Six months after Javier Milei arrived at the Casa Rosada, the gap was narrowed.
How the Knowledge sector grows
According to a study by the Permanent Observatory of the Software and Computer Services Industry (OPSSI), an organization of the Chamber of the Argentine Software Industry (CESSI), in the first months of the year:
- 73% of companies in 2023 updated the prices of their main products and services below inflationbut more than 70% managed to increase the volume of their sales
- 21% was staff turnover in 2023
- Exports grew 84.2% versus 2015
- 144% is the difference between an average senior and junior salary
María Laura Palacios, director of the Talent Space and deputy secretary of Cessi, tells iProUP that the reduction of the gap, the high inflation rates plus layoffs in global companies, made many Argentines value the dependency relationship in a local firm more. against the possibility of working abroad.
“According to the survey of the latest National Software Industry Report carried out by the OPSSI, salaries in the Software sector are competitive and attractive, and will continue to be so in the future because this industry is still an expanding field with constant innovation and development,” he says.
Knowledge workers begin to value the dependency relationship more given the smaller gap
“In this line, the median salary of the sector as of January 2024 reached $1,200,000, representing a significant increase of 246% in the last year and 129% in the semester. These levels are considerably higher than the minimum living and mobile wage, as well as well as the total basic basket,” he adds.
According to the executive, although salaries increased slightly below inflation in the last year, they were above the increase in prices in the last semester.
“On the other hand, many times, the same companies have the ability to work abroad from Argentina. This allows them to take advantage of the exchange rate, which helps keep salaries competitive,” he adds.
According to Palacios, a “cumulative increase of 84.3% in exports and sales was recorded in the last 9 years (since 2016), representing the greatest variation within all Knowledge-Based Services.”
Victoria Penacca, Argencon project leader and director of Club ArgenTec, confirms the trend but assures iProUP that “a professional who was working outside because it was convenient for him to earn in dollars, It is still premature to evaluate whether the trend continues or not“.
What are the most sought-after skills?
Among the most sought-after positions in the sector, developers always appear as the most requested and complex when it comes to thinking about academic training. But professionals with soft skills are also highly required.
The median salary is $1.2 million, but it is usually higher in more senior positions.
Gabriela Bordoy, director of the Department of Economy, Business and Society at ITBA, assures iProUP that the institution has subjects aimed at developing leadership, teamwork, systemic vision and critical thinking.
“The subjects can be found in all careers and are taught in transverse shapefinding different profiles in the classroom and generating interdisciplinarity in problem solving. They include theoretical content and work is done practically, recreating real work situations. We use cases, roleplaying and internships in companies that allow our students to apply their knowledge to real problems,” he adds.
Palacios adds that CESSI observes that soft skills are sought in all positions, but in coordination, leadership and team management they are an exclusive condition, as in the following positions:
- Scrum Master
- Product Owner
- Leaders
- Managers
Penacca, from Argencon, agrees with the importance of these skills. “Any technology training program has a soft skills training component.”
“Many times, even prioritizes them in the profiles with respect to the techniquesbecause they are easier to acquire than the soft ones,” he emphasizes.
Bordoy adds that it must be taken into account that companies, in addition to developers, are today searching for:
- Data analysts
- Architects in IT
- Computer security specialists
- Management professionals who can apply technologies to optimize business models and create new ones
Furthermore, he highlights the importance of intrapreneurs, those who innovate within companies and apply agile methodologies in processes, seeking to deliver value to an increasingly demanding client.
Profiles that unite business and technology find better and new ways to create services and develop products, according to Bordoy. Furthermore, he asserts that today There is no business without technology, nor is there technology that does not affect the way things are done..
According to OPPSI, the main income from abroad in the Software sector during 2023 was concentrated in the United States (43.8%), followed by Mexico (14.2%) and Chile (11.5%).
“At CESSI we make a great effort to promote the growth and positioning of the Argentine IT industry in the country and in the world, seeking to generate added value and reduce the digital divide, contributing to the development of the country as a whole,” concludes Palacios.
