Jobs in India: 97,000 analytics, data science positions lie vacant, says study

With more and more companies adopting analytics and data-based decision making has given rise to 45 percent increase in jobs over last year, a study has revealed. Close to 97,000 positions related to analytics and data science are currently vacant due to a dearth of qualified talent, which is 45 percent over last year, a study done by online ed-tech company Great Learning said here.

"A 45 percent increase in the supply gap in just one year indicates the pace at which businesses are adopting analytics and data-based decision making. In the last few years, many large players have been forced to acqui-hire talent to keep the wind in their sails," Great Learning co-founder Hari Krishnan Nair said.

The data for the study was gathered from leading job portals and through interactions with over 100 companies and survey with over 1,000 professionals from leading cities on employment trends, salary structure and their outlook towards tools and skills.

The study further said, a majority of these job openings are for junior level roles for candidates with less than five years of experience, which has widened the talent gap in the industry.

Opportunities for freshers have also increased with openings for them accounting for 21 percent of analytics jobs, compared to 17 percent last year, it said.

About 31 percent of the job openings in the sector this year are for professionals with over 5 years of experience, it added.

"At the same time, for those looking to enter the sector, a surplus of jobs is a great opportunity. The need of the hour is for professionals to reskill themselves and get job ready. Companies are also looking inwards to identify talent to capitalise on new opportunities. Here, skill development programs will play a critical role in updating analytics capabilities and preparing the workforce for newer roles," Nair added.

Meanwhile, the study also noted that Bengaluru continued to be the hub of analytics professionals accounting for 24 percent of total analytics jobs.

Financial centres like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai have increased their share of analytics jobs this year with Delhi and NCR contributing 22 per cent of analytics jobs in India, Mumbai contributing 15 per cent and Chennai 7 percent, it added.

About 38 percent of all jobs posted are from the banking sector while retail has more than doubled its share of jobs to 7 percent from 2 percent last year.

E-commerce, pharma and automobiles have contributed 12 per cent, 13 percent and 6 percent of the jobs, respectively.

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Telecom on the other hand, has seen the biggest fall in demand with just 4 percent of job postings as opposed to 8 percent last year.