Data Analyst Jobs

According to Coursera, data analysts are in high demand globally, with the World Economic Forum listing them as “one of the fastest-growing jobs between 2025 and 2030”. As of February this year, Glassdoor reported a base data analyst salary of US$86 038 (or R161 868,34) per month, which will rise significantly as you move up in seniority and/or become significantly more specialised.

Related occupations, such as that of a mathematician or a statistician, are also expected to experience high rates of growth (i.e. of between eight and 23 percent). This is dramatically higher that the total employment growth rate of just four percent, that’s expected over the current decade.

You could choose to sign up for an entry-level professional certificate programme, which would impart basic skills such as the SQL, R, or Python programming languages, and hone in on your statistics abilities, while providing the chance to create projects for your portfolio and giving you valuable real-time feedback on your work.

Another route is committing to a three or four-year Bachelor’s degree, with a focus on a subject such as Statistics, Mathematics, or Computer Science.

And the third route is a self-study route, in which you’re already embedded in the data analytics workplace, are sure of your aptitude in the field, and have begun building a portfolio and completing every relevant short course you can get your hands on.

Each of the following specialities focuses on a different aspect of the data-analysis world, to ideally inform an individual’s decision-making:

• descriptive analytics, which allows you to gain an understanding of what took place in the past;
• diagnostic analytics, which delves into why something happened by taking a close look at the underlying cause/s;
• predictive analytics, which forecasts future outcomes by analysing both historical data and identifying patterns;
• prescriptive analytics, which suggests what actions should be taken to achieve the specific business goals at hand.

Data analysts intending to stay the course will ideally ensure that they constantly upskill on a variety of important technical skills – from performing statistical analyses, to employing data visualisation, improving their programming proficiency, the application of machine learning to their work, and even getting up to speed on data wrangling. 

Datacamp suggests that the following 10 data analytics careers will be most pursued in the years ahead:

• data scientist: involves collecting, analysing and interpreting large sets of complex data. You’ll use statistical and machine learning techniques to identify patterns and trends in the data, to help you make predictions to inform business decisions;
• business intelligence analyst: you’ll focus on helping organisations to make data-driven decisions, by analysing and interpreting complex data. In this role, you’ll use a variety of tools and techniques to extract insights from the data and will need to present this information in a clear and actionable format to corporate decision-makers;
• data engineer: as one of the most technical profiles in the field of data science, because it bridges the gap between software/application developers and traditional data science positions, you’ll be tasked with designing and building the infrastructure and systems that support data collection, storage, and analysis to help manage and maintain large data sets. Additionally, you will need to make sure that the data contained in these sets of databases is accurate, accessible, and secure;
• business analyst: this is similar to the business intelligence analyst role, in that you’ll both be collecting, analysing, and visualizing data, identifying pain points, and generating reports. However, business intelligence uses mainly descriptive analytics, while business analytics uses diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. Your job responsibilities in the latter role (i.e. that of a business analyst) will include identifying and analysing business problems and opportunities, developing solutions to improve business processes and performance, and communicating with stakeholders to gather requirements and provide recommendations;
• marketing analytics manager: this role requires you to use data and analytics to inform and optimise marketing strategies. You’ll collect and analyse data on consumer behaviour, marketing campaign performance, and market trends to gain insights that inform and improve a company’s marketing efforts;
• financial analyst: this role requires heavily quantitative and data-oriented skills, so that you can analyse data, communicate insights, create forecasts, and predict outcomes that inform important financial decisions for a business;
• quantitative analyst: employs mathematical and statistical techniques. You’ll identify patterns and trends in the data, and will develop and implement quantitative investment strategies in niches such as risk management, portfolio management, and trading to aid senior decision-making;
• risk analyst: your job is to help organisations identify, assess, and prioritise potential risks that could impact their business operations, using tools and techniques to evaluate the likelihood and potential impact of different risks and then developing strategies to mitigate or manage those risks;
• data governance analyst: you assist corporates to keep their data accurate, consistent, and compliant with legal and regulatory requirements, by striving to establish policies, procedures and standards for data management, and ensuring that these are being applied throughout an organisation;
• data visualisation engineer:: this relatively fresh take on data analytics (just like the data governance analyst role, mentioned above), puts you in charge of designing, developing, and maintaining data visualisation systems and dashboards. The interactive and visually appealing representations of the data you create will enable users/employers to quickly and easily understand complex data sets.

The perks of a data analysis role range from high earnings and great demand in the marketplace, to variety, getting stuck into cutting-edge technology, rapid career advancement into management should you so wish, and job security as a result of the asset you represent. Read more, here.