Data Analyst, Python Lead U.S. Job Searches

(Dooder/Shutterstock)

The data science skills gap has been well documented here and elsewhere. However, there appears to be a mismatch between talent supply and demand.

Curiously, U.S. job hunters are most interested in data analyst positions that many companies claim they are having trouble filling. Furthermore, recent research indicates the programming language most potential recruits intend to learn is also the dominant language for data science: Python.

Of the most in-demand technology positions turning up in job searches, the IT consulting firm Prolifics Testing found data analyst drawing the most interest—with data scientist not far behind.

Source: Prolifics Testing

Python was far and away the preferred programming language, turning up in more than 96,000 monthly searches, more than the next three languages combined—SQL, Java and JavaScript.

The study unearthed similar statistics in the U.K.: Google search data revealed far greater interest in learning Python and applying those programming skills to data analytics. Elsewhere in Europe, “AI engineer” positions drew the most interest, according to monthly job search data.

The research makes clear a disconnect between companies seeking to fill data-related positions and eager U.S. candidate seeking those very jobs.

“Americans are most interested in data analyst jobs, with an average of 26,000 online searches per month,” the job query research found.

Meanwhile, the tech employment research revealed a monthly average of 14,000 job searches for data science positions, a notch or two behind web development and software programming. Despite enthusiasm for learning the Python programming language, specific job searches for Python developer positions ranked last.

Source: Prolifics Testing

The job-hunting and skills research released this week confirms earlier surveys that found Python by far the preferred programming language among data scientists and engineers as well as machine learning developers.

Python’s enduring popularity is fueled by machine learning development, according to a usage survey released earlier this year by O’Reilly Media. For instance, Python usage for AI, deep learning and natural language processing projects grew by 9 percent over 2018. Java ranked second in 2019, but usage actually declined slightly year-on-year.

As we’ve reported, the R programming language has staged something of a comeback in recent months. According to job search data, the R language finished near the bottom of the list with an average of 9,300 monthly searches, making it “among the programming languages that Americans have less interest in learning.”

Recent items:

How Academia Could Help Close the Technology Skills Gap

R and Python: The Data Science Dynamic Duo

Python Dominates, Usage Survey Says