Colombia. The growth of data centers, driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies, has created a critical demand for support talent to keep the industry thriving.
Investments such as the U.S. "Stargate" initiative, with $500 billion earmarked for AI infrastructure in the U.S., demonstrate how other countries are prioritizing this challenge and reinforce the urgency of adapting to this digital transformation.
The talent gap in Latin America widens
Latin America is actively addressing a growing tech talent gap, as global demand for data center professionals will reach 2.3 million worldwide by 2025, according to the Uptime Institute. The region is taking decisive action to overcome the shortage of skilled professionals in data centers, which currently represents a significant obstacle to digital transformation.
Colombia exemplifies this regional challenge and response: While 66% of employers face difficulties finding candidates with suitable tech skills according to ManpowerGroup's 2024 Talent Shortage Survey, the country is actively working to close this gap. The Colombian Federation of the Software Industry and Related Computer Technologies (Fedesoft) projects 162,000 unfilled technology vacancies by the end of 2025, highlighting the urgency of developing local talent.
This situation has led the public and private sectors in Latin America to meet the challenge by implementing training programs and educational initiatives to develop the necessary technological talent pool, particularly in strategic areas such as data center operations, which are critical to the region's digital transformation.
The impact on the IT industry and the urgency of solutions
The shortage of talent is not only a problem for companies, but also threatens the country's competitiveness and economic development.
Francisco Sales, director of services at Vertiv Latin America, emphasizes the need to implement concrete strategies to address this potential economic disadvantage, stating that "from our experience, as leaders in the IT industry, we believe that it is essential to implement solutions that include specific training programs and strategic alliances with universities and technical institutes to promote the training of qualified talent in addition to having centers training programs developed by Vertiv and which we call Vertiv LATAM Academy"
Initiatives such as Misión TIC, led by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC), have shown that it is possible to close this gap. With the aim of training 100,000 youth and adults in digital skills, this program seeks to prepare the workforce for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Sales concludes by emphasizing the importance of a collaborative approach: "We know that the demand for tech talent in Colombia continues to grow, especially in critical areas such as support, project management, and digitalization. To foster national talent, all institutions – from the private sector to the government and the Vertiv LATAM Academy – must update their education and training policies. This is the only way we can allow business continuity in the country and consolidate Colombia as a benchmark in the region."
The data center talent crisis is not an isolated problem, but a wide-ranging challenge that requires urgent and coordinated progress. If Colombia can strengthen its local capacities and empower its human talent, it will not only be able to overcome this disadvantage, but also position itself as a key player in Latin America's digital transformation.
