According to LinkedIn, the 10 most in-demand jobs are in Latin America’s largest economies

Despite the crisis, it is not all bad news

Although unemployment in Latin America was more than 10% in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, demand for some jobs saw an increase.

Thus, health and technology became the two sectors with the greatest need for workers in 2020 compared to the previous year.

And despite the fact that each country has its own specifics, there are some general trends that have characterized the evolution of the labor market in the region.

Jobs in the technology sector, which were increasingly in demand, took a giant leap forward in 2020 as a result of the confinements and transformations that companies had to make to enable remote working.

“The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of companies. Many companies did in six months changes that could have lasted for yearsRamiro Luz, Talent Solutions Director for LinkedIn Latin America, tells BBC Mundo.

Intensive care

And because of the health crisis, nurses, doctors and other health professionals and technicians are in more demand than ever.

“The intensive care nurse it was the most critical and most in-demand job anywhere, ”explains Luz.

“The intensive care nurse was the most critical and most in-demand job anywhere,” says Ramiro Luz. GETTY IMAGES

In this context, the country in the region was most in demand for these types of professionals Brazil

But in addition, in the largest economy in the region, the demand for professionals in the research and development (R&D) sector, such as pharmaceutical and biochemical, a new element that makes a difference to the labor needs of other Latin American countries.

The surprise of real estate and e-commerce

In Mexico, the region’s second-largest economy, an unexpected element appeared on the labor market in 2020.

“What has caught our attention is that there is a high demand for real estate professionals in Mexico,” says Luz.

While the real estate industry was badly hit by the coronavirus crisis, paradoxically the need arose for a rapid adjustment of the real estate rental and sale business model.

On the one hand, “many business premises remained empty,” says the expert. But it is also true that with the fall in interest rates and the price of houses, the demand for workers in the sector has increased by 54% compared to 2019.

Another phenomenon that emerged in 2020 is the transfer of employees from the bank or the retail towards electronic commerce.

For example, employees who worked as tellers moved to jobs in logistics centers or storage critical to trading online

Many low-skilled jobs migrated from brick-and-mortar stores to online trade logistics centers. GETTY IMAGES

Without a specific order and given that each country has its own labor needs, according to Ramiro Luz, these are some of the most in demand jobs in the largest Latin American economies:

1- “Front-end and back-end” web developer

In software developer jargon, there are two types of specialists: those who work on the “front-end” and those who work on the “back-end.”

The former develop the part of the software that communicates directly with users, while the latter process the information.

Together with these developers programmers computer scientists. The latter are responsible for “coding”, that is, writing instructions in a computer language that the computer can read to perform tasks such as inventory management in a warehouse or the sales record.

While the need for developers and programmers has been a trend in recent years, the pandemic has further increased the supply of jobs in this field. GETTY IMAGES

Experts say those who don’t know the programming languages in developed countries won’t be able to advance professionally in a few years as it will be a required skill as reading or writing is now.

Other jobs in high demand include SAP specialist (business application software), which help to improve all processes of a company, and computer engineers who specialize in the cloud.

2 data engineer

Data engineers are responsible for finding trends in datasets and development algorithms to make the raw information useful to the business.

This profession requires in-depth knowledge of database design and multiple programming languages.

It’s kind of a job that sits in the middle between application developers and data scientists.

Other much needed professionals in the computer industry include validation analysts, machine learning engineers, and data architects.

3 nurse

Faced with the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the job with the greatest demand in the region is that of a nurse specializing in intensive care.

However, the demand for doctors and health professionals of all kinds increased exponentially.

In addition to the encouraging forecasts regarding the control of the pandemic thanks to the massive vaccination processes, the phenomenon of the growing demand for these types of professionals and technicians is a trend that has accelerated in recent years.

With the pandemic, the need for health workers, including those specializing in mental health, has skyrocketed. GETTY IMAGES

And the countries undergoing a gradual aging process will need even more health workers in the future.

In the middle of the confinements, the need for mental health professionals, including psychiatrists and psychologists.

4-Health support staff

Added to the above is the need to have nursing assistants, which assist patients in cleaning, grooming, feeding, administering medication and general assistance processes.

There is also a need for more professionals specializing in rehabilitation, physical and respiratory therapy and people trained in elderly care.

5 expert in digital marketing

As companies were suddenly forced to accelerate their digital transformation, so did the number of jobs for those responsible for marketing strategies. social media marketing, digital marketing consultants, brand specialists and marketing assistants.

With more and more companies closing brick-and-mortar stores and expanding their online operations, the demand for digital marketing experts has increased. GETTY IMAGES

6- Director or Coordinator of Electronic Commerce

Electronic commerce has boosted the labor market in the region.

The field of work is very extensive as it encompasses from computer specialists to people who fulfill functions in warehouses and product distribution centers.

The Director or Coordinator of Electronic Commerce, commonly known as’e-commerce manager“, is responsible for managing an e-commerce project and understanding and controlling the sales process online from beginning to end.

“The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of businesses. GETTY IMAGES

Depending on the country, the names of this position vary, although in fact it is the figure in charge manage business online

With regard to e-commerce, other jobs that have gone down well include those of delivery workers, supply chain assistants, and storage team managers, as well as profiles related to logistics and transportation.

7- Customer Service Representative

With the rapid digitization of companies, the demand for all roles related to customer service has also increased, such as the representative of the company who responds to the needs of the consumer, as well as the executives and managers of the team that fulfills this function.

It is usually the people who work in the so-called “telephone exchanges

8 digital content generator

The position of digital content generator includes people who provide creative services such as copywriters, animators, illustrators, 3D artists and video editors.

Demand has increased in the generation of digital content. GETTY IMAGES

9-Business Development Specialist

A business development specialist or business development expert is the professional who is responsible from the outset for identifying new opportunities for a business or running an enterprise.

He is responsible for researching and creating new projects, managing the resources necessary for their implementation and putting the initiatives into practice.

It is common for a business development specialist specific analytical models for a signature.