The service exports They grew by 11% during the last semester and already represent almost 30% of the country’s total placements, according to a survey by Uruguay XXI, which highlighted the “sustained growth” of the sector over the last 15 years.
The sector has some 665 companies and generates close to 33,000 jobs, with sales for 6,000 million dollars, while they highlighted that more than 95% of the international centers were installed in the last 20 years and there was an increase of approximately 60% in the employment in the last seven years.
The data were presented during the first Uruguay Global Services Day, a meeting organized by Uruguay XXI with the presence of more than 100 local and international actors in the sector. There, the executive director of the investment, export and country image promotion agency, Sebastian Risso, He highlighted that the growth of global services exports “shows the level of development” of the country.
In justifying his position, he specified that “the most advanced countries have an increasing proportion of services within their export alternatives” and recalled that according to data from the Central Bank of Uruguay placements “express an increase of 11% in the first semester.”
Investments and employment
The Investment Promotion and Aftercare manager, Alejandro Ferrari, highlighted that there are 665 companies that generate nearly 33,000 jobs and export 6 billion dollars, but also highlighted the role of international centers (operations of more than 20 employees of foreign firms), a segment that explains 15% of the total companies and 60% of employment in the global services sector.
Regarding these international firms, he pointed out that they installed their regional headquarters, shared service centers or their trading activities – often shared with regional distribution centers -, ICT centers of excellence and other activities. “There is a sequence of investments in this sector and companies that combine different platforms,” he explained. Ferrari.
And he pointed out that the main origin of these operations is USA (more than 30%), followed by Argentina, Switzerland, Canada and Brazil. He also assessed that the dynamism of the sector was reflected in an increase of approximately 60% in employment, comparing 2023 with 2017.
The witness case of Mercado Libre
Speaking at the event, the Country Lead of Mercado Libre Uruguay, Patricia Blanco, He recalled that the firm of Argentine origin has been developing in the country for 10 years. “A few years ago we saw that in Uruguay we could find qualified talent and a legally secure place. So we started out of affinity, but we grew because it is a market with good talent,” Blanco clarified.
So, Mercado Libre doubled the number of people who has been working in the country for the last three years. “We see a country in which we want to continue growing. “We value the context of certainty and tranquility that it offers, added to the tax benefits and the possibility of hiring talent that generates good productivity and has cultural affinity with other countries,” she highlighted.
Talent and commitment to the future
The Managing Director of Hub Montevideo BASF, Patricia Nunes, who highlighted that they began activities in 2014 with 14 jobs and today they employ more than 1,000 people. “Because Uruguay? Because of the quality of the people and the talents. Our objective was to provide quality services within the company and the choice was a success,” evaluated Nunes.
At the closing of the panel, he highlighted that the global services They have an excellent opportunity to continue growing. “We have support from the government, the figure of Uruguay XXI to promote us and the players have a very clear objective, to grow the sector and attract more investment to Uruguay”, projection.
At the same time, the Vice President, Finance & Managing Director of Saber Uruguay, Guillermo Prosper, He said that the firm has been operating for about 20 years, when the phenomenon of relocation of companies to reduce costs began to consolidate. “Here contracts are respected, there are clear rules of the game; “The country has the best index in terms of democratic quality and a very low level of corruption in the system,” he assessed the decision.
And he analyzed that “these are very important values for companies in terms of the certainty that comes from planning an investment in the very long term.”
A sector that grows and generates quality employment
Finally, the director of Economic Policy of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Marcela Bensión, He assured that the sector “has been growing enormously and you can see its jump in exports.”
The leader assured that “the global services “They are important because they generate quality employment with good salaries, level of activity, export currencies, they diversify the country’s export matrix and also the export destinations.”
Besides, Bension He stressed that “advanced countries are strong buyers of Uruguayan services and that is very important for our economy.”
Source: Ambito
