This is the ninth instalment in a series of blogs providing information on occupational roles that employers struggle to fill. In this article we take a look at the role of the data scientist.

There are regional differences in the skills and occupations where employers are experiencing shortages and throughout this series we will attempt to provide information on where the greatest demand for the occupations and skills exist geographically where there are significant regional differences.

What does a data scientist do?

A data scientist takes large amounts of raw data and analyses this in order to put it in to context, allow insights or conclusions to be drawn and to identify trends for business purposes – big data is big business and this means more data scientists!

How do you get a job as a data scientist?

Chances are – you are going to need a degree in statistics, maths or some other numerical subject / computer science for this career. Some employers may even ask for a post-graduate degree as well. You will also need to have an excellent understanding and working knowledge of databases and programming languages as well as the ability to present your findings to others in a way that they can understand.

The skills you need to succeed as a data scientist

In addition to great technical skills, supported by mathematical expertise you will need the following skills to do well as a data scientist:

• Excellent analytical skills
• Presentation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Attention to detail

Average salary for a data scientist

Data scientists fall into the category of IT business analysts, architects and systems designers and the average UK annual pay is £48,360 although you can expect to earn significantly less when you first start out.

There is expected to be a 6.1 per cent increase in the workforce in this area of work between now and 2024 and in addition to this, it is anticipated that nearly 24 per cent of the current workforce will retire and need to be replaced creating nearly 30,000 job openings.