Narayan AmmachchiMany Latin American software engineers working remotely for US firms are passing on the chance to relocate and have a shot at the “American Dream”.
A survey by IT recruitment agency Terminal found that Latin American software profesionals would rather work remotely from their home country. The range of reasons cited includes higher rentals and healthcare costs in the United States. Also, many view face-to-face work as a hindrance to work-life balance.
“Unexpected health issues can make you go bankrupt,” replied an engineer from Colombia when asked why he would not relocate to the US.
Surveyed engineers said the US is too far from their family (62%) and also expensive (61%). Racism was also among the reasons cited.
“We found engineers are settling into a remote-first mindset,” said Terminal in its report.
Around 84% of Latin American professionals said working from home makes them more productive, compared to 77% of Canadian respondents.
Time zones are also a factor, with 80% of Latin American engineers stating that they felt more productive working with teams that operate in a similar time zone.
Terminal claims to have interviewed more than 1,000 engineers in Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Canada and the United States for the survey.
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