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LATAM IT Outsourcing to Hit $27.5B by 2028 — Why Tech Companies Are Rewriting Their Expansion Playbook

  • 5 days ago
  • 5 min read

The global IT outsourcing conversation is no longer about cost alone. It is about speed, scalability, and resilience. And Latin America is at the center of that shift.

Multiple market analyses project that IT outsourcing in Latin America will reach approximately $27.5 billion by 2028, reflecting strong and sustained growth across software development, IT support, cloud services, and digital operations. At the same time, broader definitions of IT services outsourcing place the regional market well above that figure when infrastructure, managed services, and enterprise technology operations are included. Regardless of which measurement model is used, the direction is clear: LATAM is becoming a structural pillar in global tech delivery models.

For tech companies in the United States and beyond, this is not simply a market statistic. It is a strategic signal. Expansion playbooks are being rewritten in real time.


The pressure driving the shift

The U.S. technology labor market remains highly competitive. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for software developers is projected to grow 15% over the next decade, with more than 120,000 openings per year on average. That sustained demand means hiring domestically remains expensive and slow, particularly for high-growth companies that need to scale quickly.

At the same time, artificial intelligence is transforming how work is delivered. Research from Gartner suggests that by 2030, the majority of IT work will be done by humans augmented by AI systems, with a smaller but meaningful portion handled autonomously by AI. This does not eliminate the need for talent. Instead, it increases the need for skilled teams that can operate AI-enabled systems efficiently.

The result is a new operational reality. Tech companies must grow, innovate, and deploy faster than before—while managing costs and maintaining service quality. Traditional expansion models centered exclusively in high-cost markets are no longer sufficient.

Nearshore outsourcing in Latin America has emerged as one of the most practical solutions.


From cost savings to capacity strategy

A decade ago, outsourcing decisions were often framed around labor arbitrage. Today, the conversation is different. Companies are asking:

  • Where can we build reliable capacity quickly?

  • How do we operate in real-time collaboration with U.S. teams?

  • How do we reduce operational risk while scaling?

Latin America offers strong time zone alignment with North America, cultural compatibility, and a growing base of bilingual talent. Reports focused on shared services and outsourcing in the region consistently show that companies are shifting more complex processes—including technology development, analytics, and customer experience operations—to nearshore locations.

This evolution is precisely why the market is growing toward the projected $27.5 billion mark. The expansion is not speculative. It reflects structural changes in how companies design their global operations.


Honduras within the LATAM growth story

While countries like Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica are frequently highlighted in nearshore discussions, Honduras is increasingly entering the conversation as a competitive and scalable alternative.

Honduras has a young population, expanding service-sector capabilities, and an improving business infrastructure environment that supports international operations. International development research has pointed to business process outsourcing and technology-enabled services as growth sectors for the country’s diversification strategy.

But for global tech companies, macroeconomic potential is not enough. They need evidence of functioning ecosystems.

This is where Altia Smart City becomes relevant.


Altia Smart City: Growth backed by execution

Altia Smart City has evolved over the past 15 years into one of Honduras’ most established nearshore business ecosystems, with campuses in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa.

Its growth timeline mirrors the broader evolution of nearshore demand. What began as a strategic business park initiative has developed into a multi-building technology and services campus supporting international companies in BPO, ITO, customer experience, and digital operations.

The expansion is measurable.

Business press coverage has reported multimillion-dollar investments in new towers within Altia’s San Pedro Sula campus, including a fourth tower backed by approximately $18 million in investment. That expansion was tied directly to tenant demand, with companies such as itel planning to operate hundreds of positions from those facilities.

In Tegucigalpa, Altia Technology Park has generated thousands of construction jobs during development phases and supports ongoing employment in technology and service operations. These figures are important because they reflect sustained operational activity rather than short-term announcements.

Perhaps more significantly, publicly traded global outsourcing companies have chosen Altia campuses for their entry into Honduras. For example, ibex, a Nasdaq-listed customer experience outsourcing provider, announced the opening of a new delivery center in Tegucigalpa located within an Altia Smart City business park.

For international clients evaluating “outsourcing Honduras” or “tech company LATAM” options, this type of tenant signal matters. It demonstrates that global operators with strict service-level requirements consider the ecosystem viable for real delivery.


Infrastructure as a growth enabler

The projected $27.5 billion expansion of IT outsourcing in Latin America will not be absorbed randomly. It will concentrate in ecosystems capable of supporting scale.

Altia’s campuses were designed to provide integrated environments where companies can operate, recruit, and grow without building infrastructure from scratch. Over the years, this has created a network effect: as more companies establish operations, the local talent pool deepens, and service providers cluster around the ecosystem.

Recruitment capacity also plays a role. Structured talent acquisition processes and partnerships with educational institutions help ensure that workforce growth keeps pace with tenant expansion. For companies facing hiring bottlenecks in their home markets, this type of organized talent pipeline reduces ramp-up time.

Importantly, Altia’s multi-city presence offers flexibility. Companies can diversify operations within the same ecosystem while staying inside Honduras. That optionality supports resilience planning—another key theme in modern expansion strategies.


Why this matters now

The projected rise of LATAM IT outsourcing to $27.5 billion by 2028 is not simply a regional headline. It is a reflection of deeper shifts:

Technology work is increasingly distributed.AI is augmenting but not replacing skilled teams.Companies need real-time collaboration across borders.Investors demand operational efficiency and resilience.

For tech companies rewriting their expansion playbook, the question is no longer whether to leverage nearshore capacity. The question is how to do it intelligently.

Latin America offers scale. Honduras offers emerging opportunity within that scale. And Altia Smart City provides an example of how infrastructure, tenant growth, and sustained investment can translate macro trends into operational reality.


Beyond promotion: evidence of maturity

One of the biggest challenges in the outsourcing space is credibility. Many locations promise advantages. Fewer can demonstrate multi-year growth, repeated investment, and international operator adoption.

Altia’s 15-year development trajectory, its continued campus expansions, and the entry of globally recognized service providers into its facilities suggest a level of maturity that aligns with the current phase of LATAM’s outsourcing growth.

As the region approaches the projected $27.5 billion milestone, ecosystems that combine infrastructure, talent pipelines, and proven tenant success will likely capture a disproportionate share of new demand.

For tech companies evaluating nearshore strategies in 2026 and beyond, the takeaway is clear: the expansion playbook is evolving. Latin America is central to that evolution. And within that regional rise, Honduras—through established ecosystems like Altia Smart City—is positioning itself as a credible node in the next chapter of global IT outsourcing.

The numbers point to growth. The operational signals point to readiness. The companies that move early in aligning their strategy with this shift may gain not only cost advantages, but sustained competitive capacity in a market that is scaling fast.

 
 
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