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Key Takeaways
- The best countries to offshore data engineering in 2025 include Mexico, Argentina, India, and Poland, as they offer a strong mix of skill and affordability.
- When choosing where to hire, look at more than just cost—time zone alignment, education quality, and infrastructure all impact team performance.
- Most companies source offshore data engineers through specialized staffing and recruitment partners, freelance platforms, or referrals, depending on the role and urgency.
Data is everywhere, so why limit your search for data engineers to your own backyard? As demand for data expertise keeps growing, many forward-thinking companies are realizing that the talent they need isn’t necessarily confined within their geographical borders.
Whether your ideal data engineer is developing solutions in São Paulo or building pipelines in Manila, offshoring opens doors to a diverse global workforce capable of delivering outstanding results while optimizing your budget.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the best countries to offshore data engineering in 2025, looking at the right mix of cost, skill, and collaboration. While great talent exists globally, Latin America stands out for US companies looking to hire offshore without losing real-time communication or productivity.
What Makes a Country a Smart Choice for Offshore Data Engineering?
Every country offers its own special advantages in offshore data engineering, with each nation contributing distinct technical talent, digital infrastructure, and innovation potential to the global technology ecosystem. A smart choice depends on a mix of cost, capability, and collaboration.
Here’s what to consider when evaluating a country.
Talent pool size and education quality
Countries with strong university programs in data science, analytics, and engineering tend to produce more qualified candidates. For data engineering roles, this means a deeper bench of skilled professionals trained in core concepts like database design, data modeling, and distributed systems.
Technical skills and English proficiency
Teams need a mix of technical skills and English proficiency. Look for regions where engineers are trained in skills such as modern data stacks and can communicate clearly across borders. Data engineers often work closely with cross-functional teams, so strong communication skills and up-to-date tooling knowledge are essential.
Cost of living and hourly rates
Regions with lower costs of living often offer budget-friendly rates but balance that with skill and reliability.
Time zone compatibility
While cost matters, smooth collaboration often matters more. Working with engineers who can hop on a call during business hours, share feedback quickly, and move fast with your team can make all the difference.
Some companies prefer a follow-the-sun model, but many teams benefit from the real-time collaboration offered by regions with similar time zones. Overlapping work hours can speed up debugging, data validation, and communication with analytics or product teams.
Digital infrastructure remote
Stable broadband, cloud access, and modern data centers help keep projects on track with fewer disruptions. Fast access to cloud storage, remote databases, and real-time processing tools is critical, especially when it comes to big data engineering.
8 Great Countries for Finding Top Offshore Data Engineers in 2025
Choosing the right offshore location depends on what your team needs most: cost-efficiency, time zone alignment, or access to specialized talent.
Below, we’ve grouped eight top countries into two categories:
- Nearshore picks that sync well with US business hours.
- Offshore options known for their large talent pools and competitive rates.
Best nearshore options for US teams
These countries, which are close to the US, offer cultural familiarity and overlapping work hours, making it easier to hire data engineers who can seamlessly integrate with your existing team and deliver results quickly.
- Mexico: Mexico has become a key tech hub in Latin America, thanks to its proximity to the US and strong cross-border ties. Many Mexican engineers are familiar with US business culture and tools, which helps reduce ramp-up time on projects. Major cities like Guadalajara and Mexico City boast a growing pool of data talent.
- Argentina: With universities like UBA and ITBA producing data-skilled graduates, Argentina has built a strong reputation for technical expertise. Many engineers have worked on international projects through outsourcing firms or freelancing. English proficiency is generally high in urban areas, especially among tech professionals.
- Colombia: Colombia's tech scene continues to expand, with the government’s strong focus on and support for digital transformation and IT education. Cities like Bogotá and Medellín are home to a growing number of engineers with experience in cloud platforms and big data tools. English skills are strongest in the business and tech sectors.
- Brazil: As one of the largest economies in the Latin American region, Brazil offers a deep talent pool of over 600,000 experts and an active data engineering community. Universities in São Paulo and other major cities are known for producing technically strong graduates. The country is home to numerous data meetups, boot camps, and online communities that keep talent current.
Strong offshore options for cost savings
These countries are farther from the US, but they offer large, skilled labor forces at highly competitive rates. Many also have government-backed initiatives to grow their digital economies.
- India: India produces over 35 million STEM graduates every year and accounts for roughly 20% of global data generation. The country has invested heavily in expanding its data center infrastructure, making it a go-to destination for technical roles like data engineering.
- Poland: Poland scores 70.74% on the International IP Index, reflecting strong data protection practices, and ranks 15th globally for English proficiency. It has a mature tech ecosystem and is widely recognized for its depth of engineering talent.
- Philippines: The Philippines is working to position itself as a regional data hub, supported by initiatives through the Philippine Business Hub. English is widely spoken, and the country has a history of success in outsourcing. Tech-focused training programs continue to expand the talent pipeline.
- Malaysia: Malaysia combines cost savings with government-backed efforts to develop data talent. Programs like STEP aim to upskill technical workers, and national cybersecurity laws provide a stable environment for digital operations. The country’s strong legal framework around IP rights is another plus.
Working hour overlaps: A quick time zone comparison
For agile teams, real-time communication is often the difference between quick wins and long delays. That’s why time zone compatibility matters when hiring offshore data engineers.
If your team is based in the US, it helps to work with engineers who are available during at least part of your business day. This makes it easier to handle questions, run standups, and move faster without waiting hours for feedback.
Here’s a quick look at how different countries align with US business hours:
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How location affects compensation
While cost shouldn’t be your only consideration, it’s still part of the offshore hiring equation. Salaries for data engineers vary widely by region, with significant savings in many other countries compared to US-based roles.
In Latin America, for example, data engineers typically earn between $42,000 and $84,000 annually. This represents a 52% savings on average compared to US salaries.
Rates in India average around $36,000, while Poland is closer to $84,000. The Philippines and Malaysia often fall on the lower end, averaging $22,500 and $25,500 respectively.
That said, lower cost doesn’t mean lower quality. Strong engineers in Argentina or India may bring years of experience, advanced certifications, and fluency in English. Roles that demand leadership or cloud-specific expertise typically command higher rates across all markets.
Latin American tech professionals representing the growing talent pool in the best countries to offshore data engineering services
How to Find Top Offshore Data Engineers
Knowing where to hire is only half the challenge. Once you've picked your ideal location, the real work begins: figuring out how to actually find and vet great data engineers.
From full-service recruitment support to more hands-on approaches, here are four common ways companies build successful offshore teams.
Work with data engineering recruitment agencies
If you're hiring for a complex role such as management of your data pipelines and warehouse, then a recruitment agency is often the smartest move.
Partnering with a specialized firm can take a lot of pressure off your internal team. Data engineering recruitment agencies handle everything from sourcing and screening to testing technical ability and soft skills.
Many also assess English fluency and cultural fit. This route often leads to stronger hires, especially if you're scaling quickly or need niche expertise.
Use freelance platforms for speed
Need someone to clean and migrate legacy data before a product launch? Freelance platforms are a fast way to connect with data engineers from around the world who can tackle your project right away.
If you're looking for short-term help or want to trial someone before making a longer commitment, freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr may be a practical option. Just keep in mind that quality and availability can vary widely between candidates.
Post on global or local job boards
If you already have DevOps and a hiring team in place and want to build a long-term data team, job boards can help you cast a wide net. Job boards offer broad reach and are often budget-friendly, especially for companies with in-house hiring teams.
You can use platforms like LinkedIn, Remote OK, or regional tech sites to post roles. Be prepared to manage a high volume of applicants and run your own evaluations to find the right match.
Ask for referrals within your network
When you're looking for someone reliable to join a small, tight-knit data team, referrals can be gold. While this method may not flood your inbox with resumes, it can lead to some of the best hires.
Trusted peers, former colleagues, or contractors you've worked with may know someone who's looking for work. It’s a great way to find people with the skills you need and a proven track record.
If you’re ready to move quickly, you can always find a data engineer through a partner that already has a vetted network of talent.
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Final Thoughts
There’s great data engineering talent all over the world, but if you’re a US-based company, Latin America checks the most boxes. You get solid technical skills, affordable rates, and the kind of working-hour overlap that makes collaboration feel effortless.
When evaluating the best countries for offshore data engineering, geography isn’t just a logistics question—it’s also a productivity decision. The smoother the day-to-day, the faster your team can ship, scale, and solve problems.
Near connects growing businesses with top-tier talent from LatAm, including remote data engineers, who might otherwise be out of reach. If you're curious about how it all works, check out our guide on how to hire nearshore data engineers and what to expect from the process.
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