CIO OPINION population of the region , fairly small . Indeed , the unemployment rate is 11.3 % in Columbia , 8.2 % in Brazil and Chile , and 6.5 % in Peru and Argentina . These are not eye watering numbers but they point to a region that has an excess of affordable talent but not necessarily the jobs to meet demand .
For HealthTechs there ’ s a clear opportunity to look seriously at this region to tactically recruit at all levels – from back office , administrative and data entry functions through to developers , analysts and genetics experts . The key is to leverage the ecosystem of technology providers that have grown up over the past decade ( and been supercharged by the pandemic ) that have made this process as seamless as possible . Communication , monitoring , productivity and engagement tools are now readily accessible and affordable . So too are the recruitment and management platforms that can enable a variety of different types of working relationships – from full time staff to consultants and project-based engagements .
The mentality of many workers has also radically changed over the past few years which means creating a remote or fully virtual workforce is much more achievable . People no longer expect all their colleagues to be in office , nor is having a team spread out across the world only the preserve of global corporations . There are numerous examples of successful startups – right across the industry – that have created teams numbering in the hundreds that have never had a head office or even all met in person .
However , recruiting and managing a more remote workforce does have some pitfalls that require a thoughtful strategy to avoid . Chief among them is keeping everyone engaged , happy and productive . This means instilling your company ’ s culture and treating every team member – no matter the nature of their employment or location – as equals . It also may involve reviewing your management practices to ensure that the way you communicate , assess and engage with remote workers adapts accordingly . There are tech solutions that can help make this process much easier .
My message for HealthTech companies is pretty straightforward – rather than seeing time and resources ebb away in the hunt for much needed local talent – think globally . Regions , like Latin America , which have long been neglected by most western tech companies , are primed to come to the rescue . New technology and working practices mean that this is achievable for a business of any size and it could be the key to unlocking the growth potential of your company . p www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO LATAM INTELLIGENTCIO LATAM 41