The Argentine Patagonia region is poised to become the primary driver of new employment opportunities in the forthcoming years, fueled by substantial oil and mining investments promoted by President Javier Milei’s administration, as indicated by the latest report from the Fundación Mediterránea think tank. The southern part of the country region emerges as the primary beneficiary of the Large Investment Incentives Regime (RIGI, as per its Spanish acronym), which received government approval in late 2024, securing the top position with announced investments amounting to US$12.284 billion. “Neuquén and Río Negro stand out, thanks to a range of large-scale shale oil and gas projects and the infrastructure tied to the Vaca Muerta fields, cementing the region as a destination for energy investment,” the report stated.
Consequently, Patagonia stands as the region likely to generate the highest number of employment opportunities, with an estimated 35,564 new positions. Over fifty percent of these figures can be attributed to Neuquén, the focal point of Vaca Muerta’s oil boom, where one gas and oil project is projected to create 19,000 jobs. Fundación Mediterránea observed that the figure “shows that this industry, although capital-intensive, generates a chain of services and construction with a significant multiplier effect at the local level.” Numerous recent studies have underscored the enhancement that these resource-driven investments are contributing to the region, despite an otherwise adverse environment. A recent report indicates that southern Argentina has become the nation’s growth engine in recent quarters, surpassing the central region, which has traditionally been associated with industry and agriculture.
Between February 2025 and February 2026, the southern region experienced a monthly growth rate of 0.5%, significantly surpassing the national average of 0.15%, as reported. Analysts indicated that this represents a structural expansion “in line with the energy sector’s momentum — Vaca Muerta — where heavy investment is flowing into unconventional oil and gas, and into the infrastructure needed to export it.” Universidad Austral team stated “This shift in how the economy is organized raises important questions for economic policy and the public debate.” The experts articulated that Argentina is experiencing a transformation of its production base, “in which traditionally central sectors are losing relative weight against new activities tied to natural resources and energy.” The Cuyo region, encompassing Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis, is experiencing growth that surpasses the national average, with a monthly growth rate averaging 0.2%, as indicated by the Austral report.
This aligns with the findings of Fundación Mediterránea, which identified Cuyo as a significant beneficiary of the shift, emerging as the second-largest destination for investment with US$10.146 billion in announced funding investments. The investment is projected to enhance job creation, with an anticipated 27,575 new positions, as reported by Fundación Mediterránea. The Northwest region ranks third, with US$7.705 billion in announced investment, predominantly associated with the “lithium triangle,” and an estimated 11,150 jobs created. “The new macroeconomic context has already begun to shift the national map of production and employment, and we will most likely see this trend consolidate in the years ahead,” stated Gerardo Alonso Schwarz. “That’s why we need intelligent coordination among federal, provincial, and municipal governments, to align incentives and facilitate the flow of investment — and consequently job creation — into every region of the country,” he added.