As the debate over remote work continues, data indicates that remote work remains a significant part of the US workforce, and an increasing number of startups are looking abroad to fill senior engineering roles. Acendeo, a US-incorporated nearshore staff augmentation company, has been placing senior Latin American engineers with US companies, a market that is expanding despite headlines suggesting otherwise.
According to Acendeo, remote days still make up about a quarter of US paid workdays as of 2025. While a White House memorandum in January 2025 pulled federal employees back to the office full time, private companies did not follow suit. In late 2024, fewer than half of US workers said they would accept a full return to the office. This has kept the remote talent pool viable, even as demand for senior developers continues to rise.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that software developer employment will grow by 16% between 2024 and 2034, more than five times the average for all occupations. This growth is driven by AI, the Internet of Things, and automation, leading to about 129,200 open roles each year. However, the strain is most acute at the senior level, where the pipeline is thin and the pay is steep. The top 10% of US developers earn above $211,450 in base salary, with total packages at major tech firms climbing well beyond that. Startups often cannot compete in such bidding wars, which is why nearshore hiring has become an attractive alternative.
Acendeo's model focuses on speed and flexibility. Engineers are embedded with client teams within 10 days, with no lengthy master agreement or exclusivity. There is no upfront recruiting fee, and rates are 30 to 40% below those of a comparable fully loaded US hire. Because Acendeo is US-incorporated, clients contract under US law, reducing exposure to severance and labor claims in the Latin American countries where the engineers are based. After the first 30 days, a client can request a replacement at no cost.
"Trust and speed decide this business. The client wants to hire abroad and keep the relationship under US law. Get that structure right, and it lasts years," said Nelso Villamizar, VP of Strategic Operations at Acendeo.
Brad Webb, Co-founder and CTO of Acendeo, added, "The demand for Senior Engineers is not slowing down. A growing company cannot pay what the giants pay. That does not mean lowering the bar. It means hiring the same caliber where the math works."
Acendeo's clients range from SaaS startups to established enterprise companies, and their placements cover software development, data, AI, QA, cybersecurity, and UI/UX design. The company emphasizes that every engineer is senior and works remotely from Latin America during US hours.
For companies interested in exploring this model, Acendeo offers an intro conversation at acendeo.com/contact. More information about the company can be found at acendeo.com.
