It’s no surprise that a growing number of companies are turning to Palestine to either hire remote talent or augment their existing teams. Paul Tija, Managing Director of GPI Consultancy has said “Several Dutch software organizations are already outsourcing to Palestine and their experiences are positive with no cultural barriers encountered”.
Additionally, Anwar Awad, VP of GM Engineering for Intel describes the sector as a “gold mine” ripe with highly motivated young talent that possesses a strong work ethic and is highly exposed to the Western world.
A young and promising tech sector in Palestine is emerging but the opportunities to hire software development talent from the region remain relatively untapped by western companies.
While a handful of larger tech giants such as Cisco, Google, Microsoft, and Intel continue to invest in Palestinian tech talent, their motives are often underpinned by internal CSR initiatives, rather than the exceptional work output the region’s IT sector can provide.
It’s time for companies around the world to take note of this emerging tech sector. Hiring Palestinian software development talent is a win-win for all, and here’s why!
A Surplus of STEM Graduates
Palestine is a highly educated nation. 14 universities across the West Bank and Gaza currently produce around 2500-3000 STEM graduates per year. For its size, that’s a good amount of skilled talent. In fact, it’s more talent that the local ecosystem can absorb. Palestine is actually a rare instance of a region with a software development talent surplus!
There is a case to be made that Palestinian tech graduates are not yet to the standard of their western counterparts. But the local tech ecosystem is maturing fast. In the past decade, there has been a rapid rise of world-class coding schools, internationally-backed accelerators, and an influx of local and international investors.
In fact, initiatives such as the Talent Accelerator Program aim to rapidly bring these new graduates up to western business standards. Over 12-weeks, local graduates enhance their coding skill sets with the latest technologies. All while working on real client projects and shifting their mindset from student to business professional.
Work Ethic and Standard of Communication
English is the language of the sciences in Palestine, with most STEM graduates having studied in English. And with career accelerators like TAP, graduates further develop their English skills and learn how to effectively communicate in a business context.
It’s no surprise that a growing number of companies are turning to Palestine to either hire remote talent or augment their existing teams. Paul Tija, Managing Director of GPI Consultancy has said “Several Dutch software organizations are already outsourcing to Palestine and their experiences are positive with no cultural barriers encountered”.
Additionally, Anwar Awad, VP of GM Engineering for Intel describes the sector as a “gold mine” ripe with highly motivated young talent that possesses a strong work ethic and is highly exposed to the Western world.
Social Impact and Diversity
There is no reason not to turn to Palestine for the quality of work alone. But the fact remains that the situation in the region is complex. One of the reasons many young Palestinians are turning to remote tech careers is that they can transcend borders and open up possibilities to connect with the wider world of work.
Palestine still has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the world, with 83% of female computer science graduates unemployed. Programs like TAP are trying to tackle this problem by enabling new graduates to develop their soft skills and business acumen, but they still need employment opportunities – especially internationally.
By investing software developer in Palestine organizations can deliver quality products with a wider social impact. International organizations willing to hire remote talent can make a profound difference in the region by providing employment opportunities for hungry young tech talent. This helps stimulate the local tech sector and accelerates positive progress for Palestine.
This is high-impact hiring!
Written by: Kiitos Technologies
