By Lowell Matthews Jr.
This article originally appeared in Governing
When you hear the phrase “data science,” you might envision caffeine-stoked coding wizards building the next Instagram or ground-breaking AI app. In reality, an ever-increasing number of employers are seeking candidates with a different kind of data science skills, the ones these companies need every day to manage and grow their businesses. But despite this growing demand, our schools are coming up short in graduating students with the specific skills these employers are looking for.
According to a recent report from my organization, ExcelinEd, and the Burning Glass Institute, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. job postings today ask for at least some data science skills. The report shows that this growing demand is leading to higher wages, with employers paying up to 14 percent more for candidates with certain data science skills.
ExcelinEd also published an interactive map of the report’s findings, showing the current demand for candidates with data science skills in each state. One of the biggest takeaways: The demand for data science is not going away, with data-intensive jobs remaining the fastest-growing careers since 2011.
The new report highlights that learning data science skills increases the likelihood of someone being hired, regardless of their profession or industry. For example, 29 percent of job postings for agricultural inspectors list at least one data science skill as a requirement. One in 10 production clerk job listings ask for some skills related to analyzing trends and predictions.
