While 71% of Americans expect AI to reduce jobs in the next 20 years, and only 5% expect it to create more, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 3,488 adults published in August 2026, the actual labor market tells a different story. Jobs requiring AI skills grew 69 percent over the past year, while the overall job market grew just 9 percent, according to PwC's 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer. This disparity highlights a critical shortage: Global demand for AI-capable software engineers outpaces supply 3.2 to 1, leaving an estimated 1.6 million positions unfilled.
"Companies read the AI headlines and conclude they need fewer engineers," said Brad Webb, co-founder of Acendeo. "What they actually need is engineers who can get real work out of these tools. There are far fewer of those than there are open roles." The shortage is also driving up wages. PwC's report put the wage premium for AI-skilled workers at 62 percent, up from 57 percent one year earlier. The fastest response is not coming from the United States either. Generative AI enrollments across Latin America rose 425 percent, the steepest jump of any region according to Coursera's 2025 Global Skills Report.
"Every company tells me they cannot find these people," said Nelso Villamizar, Vice President of Strategic Operations at Acendeo. "The people exist. They are just not in the country where those companies are looking." The numbers support the urgency. LinkedIn ranked AI Engineer as the top-growing US job title in 2026, with postings up 143 percent year over year.
Acendeo, a US-incorporated nearshore IT staff augmentation company headquartered in Farmington, Utah, is addressing this gap by recruiting AI engineers, data engineers, and scientists across Latin America and placing them within US engineering teams. These engineers work on the client's stack during US business hours. After a client describes the role, Acendeo presents pre-vetted candidates in 10 business days. The client's agreement is with Acendeo's US entity, and a single monthly fee covers the contract, payroll, benefits, equipment, and legal compliance. There is no recruiting fee and nothing due upfront. Clients save up to 40% against the fully loaded cost of hiring an AI Engineer locally, with a free replacement available any time after the first 30 days.
For companies struggling to find AI talent, Acendeo offers a solution that taps into the growing pool of skilled engineers in Latin America. To learn more, visit https://acendeo.com/solution/ai-engineer or start the conversation at info@acendeo.com.
