The number of Data Scientist roles grew by 492% from 2015 to 2019, according to an Australian Government report on the top 25 Emerging Occupations for 2020. So what has propelled this demand?
With the advancement of technology, the way in which information is stored and organised has improved and become more sophisticated. The accumulation of data over time, combined with a strong appetite by organisations for growth through mining and gleaning insights from their data, has given rise to the demand for Data Scientists.
Data insights help organisations drive growth in a number of ways. From predicting customer behaviour and needs; to personalising customer communication and product offering; as well as driving efficiencies and cost reduction. Understanding its data enables organisations to make data-driven decisions and solve complex problems. Even though data is stored more accessibly these days, the way in which data is stored and organised is far from perfect.
That’s where Data Scientists come in. Put simply, the role of a Data Scientist is to organise, manage, and analyse rich data sources and present data a meaningful way. As data typically sits across multiple systems, Data Scientists collect, merge, cleanse, and validate the data to ensure accuracy and completeness. They then analyse the data to identify patterns and trends to interpret and extract meaning. In addition to data mining and data analytics, Data Scientists build statistical, mathematical, and machine learning models.
Not only are Data Scientists well versed in programming and software tools such as R and Python, they also have strong business acumen and stakeholder engagement skills. Data Scientists discover solutions and opportunities in line with business strategy. They consult with the business and communicate findings so they can be understood by a wide audience using a range of methods, including data visualisation.
The mid-year COVID-19 edition of Clicks’ IT Recruitment and Retention report showed a slight softening in demand for data professionals. Why? When economic conditions are favourable, organisations are eager to explore opportunities for growth. During times of instability the focus switches to a more defensive position.
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At Clicks, IT recruitment is all we do. We’ve been doing it since 1990 and we are on over 80 Preferred Supplier Agreements. Australia’s favourite employers trust us to find great people. We have specialist teams who are trained across each IT skill vertical. We know what a good Data Scientist looks like!
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