Exports of digital services grow in the country

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of companies, causing 83% of them to switch to remote work mode, 84% to accelerate their digitization processes, and 50% to accelerate automation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

Likewise, the adaptation of companies to the new reality caused the need to promote new business models, adopt new technology, such as Artificial Intelligence, to remain competitive.

This scenario is being exploited by El Salvador, which is already exploring mechanisms to grow exports of digital services and thus get to market technology products globally.

According to data from the Observatorio Talento 4.0, promoted by La Cámara Salvadoreña de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicaciones (Casatic) and Crecer, El Salvador exports $74.3 million annually in technological products and services, a figure that positions it as the third country that exports the most in this area.

By making such sales abroad, the sector allowed 6,321 Salvadorans to be employed until October 2021, in the 394 companies that operate in the Information Technology (IT) sector.

According to data from the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (ISSS), in October 2021, IT companies employed 4,791, while in October 2019 there were 4,511.

Claudia Rodríguez, representative of the guild, reported that companies in the technology services sector increased their employability by 50% last year, which represents significant progress for the country.

“The growth of employment in information technology companies has been very positive. Social Security data has grown substantially since October 2019. Also the employment of contributors has risen by 50%,” the specialist specified.

On the other hand, he added that in February of this year it has been seen that the most demanded occupation is information technology, being engineering and sales the areas most requested by companies in this area.

Rodríguez added that Salvadorans have skills in the areas of information technology, artificial intelligence, and automation.

Among the most sought after careers are: the data analyst, the specialist in artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data specialist; as well as the specialist in digital marketing, strategy and experts in process and automation and the specialist in digital transformation.

In addition, companies need information security analysts, as well as the software and application developer, the specialist in the internet of things and the Fintech engineer.