The Government is advancing in the creation of a national software company with a model similar to that of Arsat and Invap, with the aim of having an agile response to the demands for solutions from the public sector, the Secretary of Knowledge Economy assured Télam. , Ariel Sujarchuk.
This company in formation already has the support of the Unión Informática union, which considered the state initiative “necessary” and fought for the “participation of workers” in the sector since “The fundamental asset and critical factor in any computer company is not in its hardware but in the human vector”.
In an interview with Télam, Sujarchuk highlighted the work carried out in 2022 and listed the initiatives for 2023 with the goal of reaching US$9 billion in exports from the knowledge industry.
– What balance do you make at the end of the year of the management of the secretariat and what challenges do you see towards the year 2023?
– This year we created a package of stimulus measures that include the Investment Promotion Regime for Exports of Knowledge Economy Activities, so that companies that export knowledge-based products and services have greater facilities for billing in dollars , whose impact will be seen next year; We launched Argentina Program 4.0, with a wide range of courses taught by some of the main universities in the country and companies such as Amazon and Microsoft, which already has more than 235,000 enrollees. The Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Law was also issued to generate incentives that accelerate the consolidation of these industries as generators of qualified employment, knowledge and foreign exchange for the country, and we continue with key programs for the federalization of the Knowledge Economy as ‘Nodes’, which has the objective of promoting the formation and consolidation of groups of public and private companies dedicated to the production of goods and services, to promote the development of regional economies. These are just a few examples of many policies and initiatives that show the Government’s commitment to this sector. Minister Sergio Massa raised the goal of reaching US$ 9 billion in exports in 2023 and I am confident that we will achieve it.
More than 40 thousand people began to study in Argentina Program 4.0, a federal initiative that promotes @SergioMassa to promote the job placement of our young talents in the technology sector.#KnowledgeEconomy#ArgentinaAvanza pic.twitter.com/vIG2CqVEG5
— Ariel Sujarchuk (@ArielSujarchuk) December 17, 2022
– Some time ago you raised the idea of a national software company. Would it be only for the demands of the national public sector?
– The idea of creating a national software company is part of different initiatives that we want to develop in the coming months. This, in particular, arose from one of the biggest challenges facing the sector not only in Argentina but in the world: talent retention, because they are profiles that are in very high demand. At the same time, the State constantly needs and consumes systems, but it also handles sensitive information. That is why we thought of a state company that could respond in a much more agile way to the demands we have, with significant cost savings for the State, which is not a minor issue.
– Will it work as an incubator for technology-based microenterprises?
– The company is designed to have close ties with the private sector. The objective is to benefit the industry and particularly its SMEs because it will make it easier for these small providers of software and computer services to be brought together and enter into large tenders to sell their products and services more efficiently.
– How then could you attract and retain talent in a national software company in a highly competitive market?
– The State, due to its salary categories, does not have a structure that can contain a demand for professionals linked to software development and IT services. For this reason, we are going to follow the model of exemplary companies such as Arsat and Invap, which have work regimes different from those of the rest of the public employees, with competitive salaries. In addition, the company will be able to hire the professionals that are necessary for projects and, even, hire other companies that are part of the tasks that are proposed. The company arrives to generate more employment and, at the same time, boost the software industry and strengthen its SMEs.
“Argentina is the second exporter of software and computer services in Latin America and thirtieth in the global ranking, with the United States as the main destination. In terms of employment, Argentina is the best ranked country in Latin America in tech skills and science of data.”
– Is the intention to create a monotribute for tech professionals who work for foreign companies maintained?
– Of course you still think about it. In fact, Minister Massa has a special interest in this project. The idea is that people who work in the ‘freelance’ modality, in activities of the knowledge economy, can enter their dollars in a legal and traceable way, as well as ensure their retirement savings and social work. However, even more important is that it is part of a set of measures that complement each other in the well-being of the entire sector and those who are part of it, such as the benefit that we recently issued for companies registered in the Knowledge Economy Promotion Regime. can access a freely available amount of dollars, equivalent to 30% of the foreign currency that enters from incremental exports, to be applied to the payment of the salaries of personnel in a dependency relationship. All this, always focused on companies being able to improve the salary situation of their workers and retain talent.
– What is missing for Argentina to be a power in the knowledge economy? Macroeconomic conditions, human resources?
– Argentina is the second exporter of computer software and services in Latin America and thirtieth in the global ranking, with the United States as the main destination. In terms of employment, Argentina is the best-ranked country in Latin America in tech skills and data science, with notable strengths in data visualization and management, programming, statistics, and software engineering. What are we missing? I would say that making more visible some of the sectors that are part of the knowledge economy that, due to the complexity of the issues they deal with, there is a lot of ignorance, as in the case of nanotechnology and biotechnology, in addition to opening more and more markets to our products and services, which meet the highest international standards. For this reason, we are close to launching the certificate for knowledge economy companies, which will allow them to be recognized and given greater visibility, both nationally and internationally, and promote them and encourage their consolidation through participation in events, business rounds , trade missions, national and international fairs and exhibitions.
