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Nearshoring Software Development to Mexico: Advantages and Disadvantages


The practice of offshore outsourcing has been widespread in the United States for years. Many companies found that they could do their work for less money when outsourcing their work to countries with drastically lower living costs. We mean transferring work to lands far from the source countries by offshoring. India, China, and Russia are examples of offshoring in the United States.

No matter what, offshore outsourcing isn't without problems. Managing time zones and cultural barriers can cause delays and stress the process.

Remote workers have become more popular as companies seek to solve these issues closer to home. U.S. companies can still save money by utilizing I.T. professionals from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Although they're located close to home, they don't face all of the offshoring issues.

Nearshoring is so different from offshoring in terms of experience and possibilities that the time was coined. We'll discuss the pros and cons of nearshoring software development in Mexico in this article and how finding the right partner to connect you with software engineers in Mexico can prove critical to your nearshoring success.


Nearshoring software development to Mexico: What is it?

The nearshoring of your software development to Mexico is a promising and cost-effective strategy. Nearshoring to Mexico is an added advantage.

Mexico can be nearshored either through outsourcing or by hiring remote workers. However, companies can take advantage of the lower pay rates and the convenience of having remote workers nearby.

Nearshoring software development requires minimal up-front costs to make a move. Nearshoring to Mexico does not require the building of new offices - after an interview and signing a contract; your organization can enjoy its benefits.

Can Nearshoring Software Development to Mexico be a good idea right now?

Updates and upgrades to Mexico's technology marketplace have been hard at work. A skilled pool of I.T. professionals can work remotely for other, more prosperous countries, bringing new income streams into the country.

The government has created 38 I.T. clusters in Mexico to achieve this goal. These clusters were explicitly made to facilitate remote I.T. work with state-of-the-art technology and reliable sources of electricity and the Internet. By doing so, I.T. professionals can compete with other countries for outsourced I.T. work without increasing employment costs significantly.

The efforts are beginning to pay off. More than 72% of Mexicans have access to the Internet, increasing more than 10% over last year. As a result of being connected, the residents of Mexico will have access to many more opportunities for learning and improving their I.T. skills. Outside companies have also noticed this. The Internet has spawned many companies that connect developers in Mexico and the rest of Latin America with Americans seeking remote software development services.

It is the right time to search for qualified and experienced software engineers in Mexico.

Benefits of Nearshoring Software Development to Mexico

It is an excellent decision to nearshore your company's software development to Mexico.

Cost-effective Labor

The cost of labor heavily influences an organization's budget. You can invest more funds in expanding and developing your business by lowering these costs. It is possible to reduce payroll costs by nearshoring software development to Mexico without sacrificing quality.

Mexico has considerably lower living costs than the United States. A livable wage in Mexico will cost your company less if a remote worker is in Mexico. A remote software developer earns an excellent salary by the standards of her country, and your company saves on payroll costs.

As economies of countries that traditionally have remote I.T. workers (such as India, China, et cetera) improve, their living costs also rise. Their wages will therefore have to increase to keep up. Eventually, outsourcing to these countries will become less cost-effective.

Time Zone Overlap With the U.S.

A major complaint of those who outsource work to distant countries is the time difference. When hiring workers in vastly different time zones, there can be issues with meeting deadlines, scheduling team meetings, and answering questions or problems promptly.

Software engineering can be nearshored to Mexico without worrying about time zones. Much of Mexico is in the same time zone as most United States and is within an hour or two of the areas that do not overlap. 

To reach your remote workers, there is no need to stay up late or wake up before dawn since the work is being done on a different day from where the deliverables are expected; no more missed deadlines.

You can avoid delays if you nearshore your work and coordinate teams even if they're in different countries.

Avoiding cultural and language barriers

Mexican and American cultures have already merged due to their shared border. It lowers the chances of a cultural clash, as can sometimes happen when team members are from significantly different cultures.

This shared cultural awareness allows team members from both countries to be more cohesive and minimize misunderstandings.

Hiring remote workers from Mexico is also less problematic in language barriers. Despite the difference in the official languages of Mexico and the United States, many people have fluency in both languages. Communication becomes much more accessible, and the chances of miscommunication or delays are reduced.

Relations with the United States have been established for a long time.

For as long as they have been trading across the border, the United States and Mexico have done business together. Trade between the United States and Mexico has remained strong even as trade wars and politics have disrupted nation-to-nation trade.

Because the relationship between these two countries has been long and stable, it is unlikely that a change in leadership or political maneuver would disrupt trade between them. 

Employment relationships are also likely to remain stable. Some of the countries traditionally used to outsourced source workers cannot necessarily be said to have the same repercussions.

Intellectual Property Protection

Companies in the United States rely heavily on protecting their intellectual property to succeed. Companies are typically meticulous in guarding their proprietary information. Another company might be able to use your critical business components to undermine your success if it had access to them.

Unlike many other countries, trade agreements between Mexico and the United States guarantee intellectual property protection. In this way, you can freely share information with remote workers in Mexico so they can design and create software without having to worry about it being stolen.


The talent pool is large.

It is not easy to find people with the specific skills you require, whether you are outsourcing I.T. work or nearshoring. With more access to talent, you have a better chance of finding what you're looking for.

More and more Mexicans have gained access to the tools and resources they need to expand their skill sets due to improvements in infrastructure and education. Your chances of finding the right software engineers and other I.T. professionals are increased with this newly enlarged pool of professionals.

Infrastructure developed for I.T.

Mexico has spent considerable time and money on improving specific regions' infrastructure. They had been developed to allow their residents to take advantage of international I.T. outsourcing opportunities. Currently, there are 38 of these clusters, with more planned.

Implementing infrastructure improvements to boost economic growth has proven successful for the Mexican government. This makes it likely to continue emphasizing infrastructure improvements to enable more of their residents to work remotely.

Robust infrastructure and an emphasis on further improvement will likely continue to boost the availability of skilled and reliably connected remote workers.


Nearshoring software development to Mexico has disadvantages.

Although an excellent option for many U.S. companies, choosing to nearshore software development in Mexico is not without flaws. Note, however, that these issues are not specific to hiring remote workers from Mexico - they can arise regardless of whether you engage in offshoring or nearshoring.

Legal compliance at the national and local levels

A foreign country's tax and labor laws cannot be expected to be identical to the United States. Companies interested in hiring remote Mexican workers should learn about national and local laws that may affect both the company and the workers they hope to hire.

If your company hires workers from different regions within Mexico, this can be a lengthy process. However, it is imperative. You or your employees may be fined if you fail to comply with local rules and regulations.

Streamlining this process is easier if you work with a firm that not only can help you connect with the talent you need but will also make sure you comply with all local and national laws.

Differences in work culture

As a result of their proximity, Mexico and the United States have fewer cultural obstacles. However, this does not mean they do not exist.

Some areas where clashes may occur are knowledge of local and national holidays, working hours, and work ethics. Although many Mexican residents speak and understand some English, communication may still be challenging.

You can avoid these problems by finding someone who understands all cultures involved. You might be able to accomplish this best with the assistance of a mediator.

Costs associated with establishing operations

Many people are hesitant to offshore or nearshore remote work because of the start-up costs. Nearshoring remote workers may be less expensive than other industries such as manufacturing, but you need to be aware of what's required to get started.

Although workers provide most hardware, there may be certain pieces of equipment that you, as the employer, must provide. This can be accomplished easily by shipping one package. The rest can be handled remotely over the Internet.

Depending on your location, you may be required to pay travel costs for remote workers in Mexico. The best way to find the right search areas and understand local customs and laws is to go in person. It may be necessary not to travel if you work with a company that offers a solid handle on the nearshoring process.


Framework Science: Nearshoring's benefits without its disadvantages

Framework Science may be the best place to contact if you're interested in including remote software developers in your workforce.

Framework Science specializes in finding highly skilled software engineers in Mexico and connecting them to companies in the United States that require their services. Framework Science only offers this service, and we specialize in it.

We have identified the best talent in Mexico and Latin American countries using our sourcing technologies, allowing you to locate the exact skill you need. Using our service, posting multiple job openings, or searching for independent contractors in an unfamiliar language is no longer necessary.

However, Framework Science does more than connect you with talent; we also remain abreast of all the local laws and regulations so that the book meets all your needs. Any issues resulting from non-compliance will be prevented for you and your remote workers.

We can also avoid misunderstandings and cultural conflicts by having staff familiar with Mexican culture and language. Having a remote worker from Mexico champion your software development can be as simple as four steps.


  1. You can reach out to us - we'll arrange a face-to-face or online meeting to discuss your exact requirements and how we plan to fulfill them.
  2. The matching process usually takes a few days or less. Within that time, you will view a list of candidates whose skills have been vetted and proven in your platform instance of our proprietary industry-first Remote Dev Team Management System.
  3. Interview the candidates – Interviews will be set up so you can assess the candidates yourself.
  4. Hit the ground running – After you've chosen which candidates best suit your needs and team, you'll hire them and have them onboard immediately.

We at Framework Science know that you can't say everything you need to know about an employee from one interview, and it is why we developed a platform to continuously gauge the delivery, performance, and ROI of your investment in the relationship.

Mexico Nearshore Software Development Framework Science

Nearshoring software development to Mexico may be the most cost-effective way to ensure qualified and talented remote employees complete your company's work. Contact us at Framework Science to learn more about how we can make that happen.

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