Analytical thinking, leadership, and teamwork are among the most valued skills for the job market of the future. These are part of the so-called soft skills which, according to the Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), rank above technical skills such as those related to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Mauricio Schorsch, Talent Amplifier LATAM Director at Salesforce, spoke during the panel “The Future of Work: Developing Key Skills in the Corporate World” at the IFE Conference 2025. He explained that the focus on soft skills stems from a gap in the market, where companies are actively seeking highly skilled personnel.

In the coming years, artificial intelligence is expected to impact more than 80% of the job market. Success in this shifting landscape will require not just technical expertise but also the ability to collaborate, adapt, and lead teams in dynamic environments.

Schorsch called for a mindset shift among both employers and employees, emphasizing the importance of training and developing these types of skills.

The panel featured other experts, including Francisco de la Torre, Regional SDI Manager for LATAM at Oracle University; Arturo Cherbowski, Executive Director of Santander Universidades; and Carlos González, Director of Education for the Public Sector at Amazon Web Services.

Soft Skills or Enduring Competencies?

Moderated by Jorge Azzario, Director of Digital Academy at Tec de Monterrey, the discussion highlighted the need for stronger partnerships between companies and educational institutions to reshape academic programs and prioritize the development of these skills, also known as power skills.

“Calling them soft skills is a mistake,” Cherbowski noted. “These are more about enduring or life competencies today.”

Azzario pointed out that the WEF report projects job market competencies for 2030 into four quadrants based on their relevance and predicted growth:

Core Skills: Power skills such as talent management, critical and creative thinking, leadership, social influence, technological literacy, self-motivation and awareness, resilience, curiosity, and lifelong learning.

Emerging Skills: Currently less in demand but expected to gain importance, including network and cybersecurity, environmental management, and user experience design.

Basic Skills with Stable Demand: Skills such as operations management, service orientation, and customer support that are not expected to see significant growth.

Out-of-Focus Skills: Competencies like software programming and multilingualism that could gradually be displaced by AI and other technologies.

Closing Workforce Gaps

Digitalization has driven business evolution but has also created gaps in the workforce, De la Torre explained. These include:

• Access Gaps: Limited availability of tools and technologies.
• Usage Gaps: A lack of knowledge on how to effectively use and benefit from technology.
• Content Quality Gaps: The overwhelming amount of available information, which makes choosing the right content a challenge.

“Precise solutions are needed to address these gaps,” De la Torre emphasized. “For example, developing advanced digital competencies—not just the basics like browsing the internet—but content creation and design, digital collaboration, and cybersecurity.”

González added that AI is already driving demand for new professional profiles. In today’s knowledge economy, professions such as law and medicine are costly due to the years of education required, but with AI, professionals will need to shift their focus toward monitoring and validating AI performance.

He emphasized that universities should not delay in adjusting their curricula to meet the needs of various industries. “Degree programs must adopt AI to learn how to integrate it into our lives responsibly, safely, and ethically.”

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