Foreigners in Uruguay value their quality of life and recommend others move to the country.

To learn more about qualified talent in the industry, Uruguay XXI invited companies from the IT sector, advisors, and other ecosystem actors that demand skilled positions. The presentation displayed the results of their initiatives to attract foreign talent and shared experiences with other companies about best practices in this field.

The Aftercare area of the agency is dedicated to developing a series of instruments focused on training, recruiting, and attracting foreigners to facilitate access to qualified talent for Global Services companies, in line with the strategy promoted by the government.

Uruguay XXI surveyed foreign workers in Global Services Companies to learn more about the international talent pool in Uruguay. A recruitment company, IT Builders, led another survey among technology professionals in Argentina, boosted by the growth of Argentinian residency applications in the last few years.

Additionally, Uruguay XXI deployed a digital marketing campaign to attract IT professionals from the region and inform them about Uruguay’s features as a destination to live and work.

The survey was run among 600 people from over 30 countries (80% from Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela, and India) working in over 75 Global Services companies operating in Uruguay.

63% of those surveyed considered that the most outstanding fact of Uruguay is its life quality, followed by the people and idiosyncrasy (34%), political and social stability (27%), job opportunities (10%), access to education & health system (7%) and climate (5%). The cost of living was the most frequently mentioned aspect among the least attractive to live in Uruguay.

The vast majority answered that Uruguay would highly recommend and recommended (79%) when asked if they would suggest that someone close to them move to Uruguay. Those who most recommend Uruguay as a country of residence are foreign workers from the region (Latam).

Within the framework of the survey carried out by IT Builders to Argentine workers, 52% of those surveyed work in IT in their home country and consider Uruguay a potential destination to work, and Spain appeared in second place. 

Argentines positively valued Uruguay’s geographical proximity, economic, social, and political stability, enjoyable environment and nature, security, and tranquil life.

This optimistic panorama of regional positioning as a destination for qualified talent has served as the backdrop for the pilot advertising campaigns that Uruguay XXI deployed to attract more IT talent to the country. These initiatives showcased the fundamental aspects that foreigners value about Uruguay, such as its positioning in terms of quality of life and social mobility, democracy and civil liberties, low corruption, and respect for the rules, as well as GDP per capita and income distribution, all aspects in which Uruguay is a regional and, in many cases, a global leader.

The campaigns also showcased the robust technology ecosystem and the high demand for talent in the country, which offers over 10,000 IT positions annually and is the region’s largest software exporter per capita.

Uruguay XXI is working steadily to help attract talent.

Other initiatives that Uruguay XXI has had concerning these issues include the website Live in Uruguay -available since 2019-, through which all the information that a foreign person needs if they are evaluating settling in Uruguay to work, study, undertake, or invest is systematized and the Fast Track instrument, developed jointly with the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs and which facilitates access to visas and residences in Uruguay for investors and qualified collaborators of companies installed in the country.

The Smart Talent job site also generates partnerships with foreign associations based in Uruguay to promote access to work opportunities. It also implements digital marketing campaigns to attract foreigners with high-profile profiles in high demand in the IT sector.