It should not surprise that, of the 10 companies with the most market assessment in the world, almost half belong to the dynamics “knowledge economy” (Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet -Gogle-). But the remaining ones are also linked (Nvidia -used by AI servers -two semiconductor companies, Tesla and Saudi energy holding Aramco). They are relatively new companies that left the previous giants behind, such as General Motors, Exxon or General Electric.
Argentina is no stranger to this current and the sector quickly positioned itself as a strong qualified employment generator and exports. According to official data from Argenconthe entity that brings together many of the exporters of services and digital creators, Exports of this sector amounted last year to US $ 8,297 million, with an year -on -year growth rate of 15.4%. It constitutes the third export complex of the country and also generates no less than 348,000 jobs.
Within this great digital umbrella is the software segment, both the generation and the application of programs and its management. “Argentine software breaks records: more employment, high wages and rising exports for a sector that grows at a rate of 13% annual and generates one in five new jobs in the country”Pablo Fiuza, president of CEO & founder of Qservices and president of the Software Industry Chamber (Cessi).
The Argentine software could be described as a boom: more than 158 thousand jobs and salaries that double the average, according to the latest report of the Permanent Observatory of the Software and Computer Services Industry (PAHO), Prepared by Cessi, which shows record figures in billing, employment creation and salary improvements. In the last decade, the industry generated more than 60,000 jobs, with a growth of 64%, against just over 1% that registered private employment in general. Female participation also shows a constant advance: in 2025 they represent 35.4% of the workforce, almost 10 points more than in 2018.
Observing the first quarter of 2025, the gross average salary in the industry was $ 2.72 million, doubling the average private employment. Measured in official dollars, they were US $ 2,500, with a growth of 68% in the last year and 8% compared to March 2023, in real terms. This positive performance is superior to that of the other knowledge-based services (+1.6% year-on-year) and contrasts with that of the private sector in general (-1.7% year-on-year). Employment in software companies was growing uninterrupted since 2015 (except for the 2nd quarter of 2020), generating 60,537 new jobs in the last 10 years.
For 2024, billing reached US $ 22,221 million (+13% year -on -year)in a context in which most sectors showed falls or stagnation, consolidating software as the protagonist among knowledge -based services.
Of the total, the services managed in software (architecture, design, consulting coding, testing, etc.) represented 28% of the billingfollowed by the development of software and services platforms (IAAS, PAAS, SAAS, Fintech, etc.) with 25.5% and the sale of software application licenses (own and third parties) meant 30% together. As the distribution by vertical, sales to the financial sector (banks, fintech, payment terminals, etc.) show it as the main client with 19.4%; followed by the public sector (governments, judiciary, etc.) with 11.7%.
Future scenario. More than half of the companies (60%) plans to increase its template, confirming the tendency to sustained growth in software; 83% expect to increase their sales in fixed units (amount of licenses, services measured in men, etc.); 63% provides for greater exports and only 15% foresee that they decrease.
With respect to prices, the vast majority (60%) expect them to vary below inflation (CPI). “The software is no longer a future: it is present. The challenge is not to adapt, but to reinvent and from our place, we believe that we are prepared for that change,” says Fiuza. The industry went from 1.7% to 2.3% of the employment recorded in the last decade, consolidating as a key engine for the country’s economic development. The software occupies the second position in employment of employment nationwide – just behind the Agro Industrial complex – and was consolidated as the third exporter of the country. (In 2024 there was export record, with US $ 2,674 million), with the United States as the main destination (47%), followed by Spain, Mexico and other countries in the region.
Another actor who showed great dynamism in recent years is that of “gaming”, with an expanding Argentine market and a community of players that exceeds 26 million, which represents more than 56% of its population. This dynamism is not only reflected in consumption, but also in local production, with a high percentage of video games developed in the country destined for export, mainly to markets such as the United States and Canada.
The Argentine Video Games Observatory reported sustained growth, With income that reached US $ 72.3 million and there are projections that indicate a market volume of US $ 780 million, COn a strong contribution of mobile games. This growth rate emphasizes the need for trained professionals in the key areas to sustain and enhance the industry. In economic matters there is life and much, behind the screens.
By Marcelo Alfano
