2022 begins with a panorama where after 2 years of pandemic, it seems that we are back to normal but with some lessons learned and we begin to see the impact that the pandemic has left.
In these years we have seen that the pandemic has acted as a catalyst for change both in higher education and in the world of work and has modified the thinking in the region's institutions about what is needed for the future, in addition to strengthening the edtech sector. , where investment has grown considerably.
According to the ILO (International Labor Office), the COVID-19 crisis in the labor markets raised the unemployment rate among Latin American and Caribbean youth above 20 percent, a proportion that triples the rate for adults and is more than twice the overall average unemployment rate in the region. In absolute numbers, there are more than 10 million young people looking for a job without getting it.
Added to this challenge is the fact that more than four out of ten companies in Latin America say they have difficulties finding workers with the right skills. 39% of Latin American organizations have problems filling vacancies and 68% say they do not have the right candidates, according to ManpowerGroup surveys.
That is why this year at TecPrize we want to focus on reducing the skills gap of young people so that they have better opportunities and can participate in the transformation of their environments. It is necessary to invest in capacities to anticipate present and future needs.