The Third-Level Technologist in Latin American Contexts: An Integrative Review of Employment, Institutional Recognition, and Competency Profiles (2022–2025)

Abstract

The present study analyzes the positioning of the technologist in the Latin American labor market within a context characterized by digital transformations, educational reforms, and evolving productive demands. The research was conducted through an integrative literature review supported by a systematic process of search, selection, and analysis, guided by PRISMA principles to ensure methodological rigor and traceability. Academic, institutional, and technical documents published between 2022 and 2025 were examined, resulting in a final corpus of 26 sources from multiple countries in the region. The analysis was organized into four thematic axes: professional competencies, institutional recognition, labor insertion, and public policies associated with technical and technological education. The findings indicate sustained growth in the demand for technologists in strategic sectors and highlight the contribution of technical and transversal competencies to employability. However, persistent structural limitations were identified, including restricted educational mobility, heterogeneous institutional valuation, and limited coordination between training institutions and productive sectors. The study also shows that public policies and regulatory frameworks progress unevenly, generating disparities in professional recognition and access to labor opportunities. It is concluded that consolidating the technologist as a key actor in regional development requires more integrated training models, stronger interinstitutional collaboration mechanisms, and strategies that align competencies, labor demand, and educational policies in order to reinforce the technologist’s contribution to innovation and productive growth in Latin America.