E-commerce firm MercadoLibre to increase staff by 30% in 2024

By Andre Romani

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Latin American e-commerce giant MercadoLibre plans to increase total staff by 30% in 2024 by hiring some 18,000 people as it seeks to build its business in Mexico and elsewhere, it said on Wednesday.

The company said in a statement the hiring spree will bring its total headcount to around 76,000 people, excluding temporary and outsourced workers.

"MercadoLibre's hiring plan follows the company's growing performance and will help sustain the expansion of operations with the investments planned for the year," it said in a statement.

MercadoLibre plans to hire about 8,200 people in Mexico in 2024, the most among the 18 countries in which it operates, increasing its staff in Latin America's second-largest economy by more than 50% to 24,400 employees.

MercadoLibre has been seeking to expand operations in Mexico, which was its No. 3 market by revenue in 2023, behind only Brazil and Argentina.

On Monday, the company disclosed plans to hire about 6,500 people in Brazil, where it generates more than half its total revenue.

From the total number of people it plans to hire in Latin America, MercadoLibre - which also owns financial technology firm Mercado Pago - said some 14,000 would be for its logistics department, while 2,500 are expected to fill technology roles.

In Argentina, MercadoLibre plans to hire about 1,800 people, increasing its staff by about 17%.

(Reporting by Andre Romani in Sao Paulo; Editing by Matthew Lewis)