Specialist says disruptive skills required for future labor market

Acquiring disruptive skills that complement professional training increases people’s professional value in a humanitarian and knowledge-based economy, said speaker Matt Sigelman at IFE Conference 2025.

The president of labor market analysis company the Burning Glass Institute gave the “Education and the Human Economy” keynote speech.

Sigelman explained that skills such as product management, cloud computing, social networks, and data analysisare growing rapidly throughout the economy and causing significant changes in how employment is defined.

He said that this increases the value of professional studies, which is why it’s essential to learn the skills that will be required in the future.

New educational models

Sigelman pointed out that the evolution of the world of work due to technological progress also requires changes in educational models to prepare students with skills for the future.

He remarked that 37% of average job skills have been replaced in just five years, so the education system should be a foundation for students to continue developing skills.

“We’re noticing that a combination of skills creates obstacles in how universities are structured. We don’t have the right structures to help people acquire these skills progressively.

“When teaching students skills, we (also) have to give them the ability to practice those skills,” added the president of the Burning Glass Institute.

The impact of artificial intelligence

He said that models are already being developed to show how artificial intelligence will affect the skills required in different jobs.

“There are specific datasets that will assist us in becoming more effective and efficient; these will be the new key skills.

“If we make sure that each of our students acquires these skills, they’ll have the skills to be effective in the age of artificial intelligence,” he said.

Furthermore, he said that investing in skills for the future of the workforce makes a region or a country more competitive and valuable.

“Skills enable people to advance, grow, and become more valuable; we have to make sure that we’re teaching the skills that define the areas and fields of our regions,” he explained.

“There are specific datasets that will assist us in becoming more effective and efficient; these will be the new key skills.”

Who is Matt Sigelman?

Matt Sigelman is president of the Burning Glass Institute and a visiting fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Featured by Forbes in its Future of Work 50 list, Sigelman has devoted his career to opening up new avenues for mobility, opportunity, and equity through skills.

The Burning Glass Institute promotes research and data-based practice on the future of work and learning.

Previously, Matt and his team invented real-time labor market data. This innovation transformed how employers, educational institutions, and workers understand, plan for, and connect with the world of work.

Through analyzing billions of job postings and career histories, Matt led the company to become the global authority in the talent market.

Matt holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard, and is a member of the Board of Foreign Relations.

El IFE Conference 2025

The IFE Conference is one of the most critical events in educational innovation in the Spanish-speaking world.

This is the eleventh edition of this event, previously known as the International Conference on Educational Innovation (CIIE).

“IFE Conference 2025 focuses on the complex challenges facing the education sector as it adopts innovative pedagogies and advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence,” said Michael Fung, president of the IFE Conference.

“(This event) provides an excellent platform for constructive dialog and the creation of partnerships, in order to shape the future of education in Latin America and beyond,” added Fung.

The Tec’s Monterrey campus hosted IFE Conference 2025 from January 28 to 30.

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