In the 1990s, Ireland made a decision that changed its economy forever. The country had a young, educated, English-speaking population, and not much else. So, Irish officials flew to Silicon Valley, to Tokyo, to boardrooms in New York and London, and made a simple case: that their people are available, their costs are low, and their country is positioned perfectly between America and Europe.

Intel arrived in Ireland in 1989. Microsoft followed. Then Google, Dell, Pfizer, and a wave of other global companies. Ireland is now one of the wealthiest countries per capita in the world.

Latin America has the same ingredients Ireland had, but it has not made Ireland’s case. Yet.

The demographic window that Ireland exploited in the 1990s is open right now in Mexico and Central America. The nearshoring boom means global companies are already looking at what the region has to offer. Countries that stay quiet will watch the moment pass.

Start with the numbers. Mexico’s population has a median age of 30 years, making it the youngest workforce in North America. Central America skews even younger. Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador represent five of the six youngest populations in all of Latin America.

According to the UNFPA, Latin America is currently at peak demographic dividend, a stage where the working-age population is up to double the size of the dependent population. The region has more workers, producers, and earners relative to dependents than it ever has before or likely ever will again.

According to BSI Economics, the workers-to-dependents ratio began shifting after 2025 in Mexico and will begin shifting after 2030 in Colombia and Brazil. For Guatemala and Honduras, the dividend extends to 2040. But the window does not stay open indefinitely, and the countries that fail to convert it will age into slower growth without ever having reaped any reward.

Latin America’s workforce is not just young, though. It is also increasingly skilled.

Mexico produced 211,460 ICT graduates between 2020 and 2025, or roughly 40,000 per year. Job listings requiring AI skills in Mexico jumped 148 percent in 2025, with generative AI course enrollments surging 356 percent. Arizona State University partnered with the Mexican government to train workers specifically for the semiconductor industry. Over 21,000 Mexican learners have enrolled in those programs.

Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey have become established tech hubs feeding engineers and developers into US companies operating across the border. The IT services market in Mexico alone is valued at $21.28 billion and projected to reach $37.28 billion by 2030, according to Nearshore Business Solutions. Remote nearshore hiring from Central America has grown 285 percent since 2016. Central American talent costs up to 80 percent less than equivalent US salaries, but in the same time zones with the same workday. All this workforce needs to do is market itself to the world.

Ireland shows that young workers alone do not automatically attract investment. Ireland built industrial parks before the companies arrived. Irish ministers flew to pitch CEOs rather than waiting for inbound inquiries. Irish universities redesigned curriculum around what technology companies needed. The Irish Development Authority became one of the most effective investment promotion agencies in the world.

Latin America’s equivalent institutions exist in fragments. Mexico’s Nearshoring Decree and Plan Mexico offer real incentives: 41 to 91 percent accelerated depreciation on new assets and a 25 percent additional tax deduction for workforce training.

The $7.5 billion Interoceanic Corridor connecting Mexico’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts via rail through 14 industrial development poles is a good step towards active infrastructure. But 2026 labor market reports note that behind strong regional averages, significant country-level gaps remain, and 35 percent of manufacturers already operating in Mexico report persistent struggles finding the skilled technical workers they need.

Supply is there, but the connection to demand is not.

The nearshoring boom is the closest thing Latin America has had to Ireland’s moment. Global manufacturers are relocating production away from China. Technology companies are building out development teams outside the United States. Supply chain executives are explicitly looking for English-speaking, time-zone-compatible, cost-competitive workforces. The region has it all.

What it lacks is the coordinated, government-backed campaign to put that case in front of every CEO making a location decision in the next few years. Ireland did not wait to be discovered. Latin America should not either.