The latest partner survey conducted by the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technology (CUTI) in 2016 showed that the industry's exports grew by 10% and turnover amounted to USD 1.158 billion, an amount 2.9% higher than in the same period of 2015 and equivalent to 2.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
While foreign sales grew, domestic purchases remained "relatively stable", reported the Cuti, and the institution's president, Leonardo Loureiro, added that "the variation is mainly seen in the private sector".
The United States remains - by far and without competition - the main destination for sales of information and communication technology (ICT) software and services: it accounts for 58.1% of local sales, followed by Argentina (5.7%), Spain (5.4%), Colombia (4.5%) and Ireland (4.5%). The latter, along with others such as Switzerland and Japan, have recently emerged as a destination, which "reflects the sector's potential and capacity to meet customer demand beyond the American continent", Cuti said in a statement.
The survey also reveals that the sector generated around 12,200 jobs last year, two-thirds of them for men and the remainder for women. According to Loureiro, these proportions reflect "the lower number of women turning to IT-related careers". On the other hand, an age breakdown of the sector's labour market shows that more than 50% of jobs are held by people under 35 and only 9% are over 50.
The Cuti president valued the sector's growth in a "complex and uncertain" economic context, with "regional economies in scenarios of economic contraction", which, he said, "reaffirms that the IT sector still has a great capacity for growth and job creation".
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