Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013. It is based on a 2013 study by The Ladders covering job postings from 2010 to 2013, and the growth multiples it cites (12x for data scientists and UI developers, 6x for business intelligence developers) belong to that period.
Continuing with trends in the business world, we now turn to the jobs whose demand grew the most from 2010 to 2013. For this we draw on a study by The Ladders, which built its ranking by analysing the words and phrases employers used in their job postings.
It comes as no surprise that once again the profiles are technology-related, and some of these professions did not even exist a few years ago. Everything suggests that demand for these jobs will keep growing in the coming years. (Read: the 10 booming jobs for 2020)
These are the 4 highly specialised jobs that have grown the most over the last 3 years:
Data scientist and user interface developer
According to the report, both professions grew 12-fold over the last 3 years. In other words, requests for these professionals have multiplied by 12.
What is a data scientist?
Given the amount of information collected on the internet (Big Data), the data scientist (who is not a data analyst) is the person in charge of analysing it and putting it to work for the company. This professional needs advanced knowledge of mathematics, analysis and statistics, as well as a thorough understanding of the business and the industry the company operates in.
*There is probably only one person in the world who can explain what a data analyst has that a data scientist doesn’t.
What is a user interface developer?
The user interface developer’s job is to empathise with how users browse, in order to make the website or app as user-friendly as possible and create the biggest possible positive impact, ending in click-throughs or purchases.
iOS developer and Android developer
Not long ago these terms did not even exist, and if some people think they only appear on American job sites, the truth is that “developer” and “development” are words we need to get used to. Their work (hence the rise in demand) is creating, adapting and developing mobile apps for businesses. Mobile apps are the immediate future.
Business intelligence developer
As in the previous case, this professional, whose demand worldwide has multiplied sixfold over the last 3 years, is starting to be sought in Spain too, although, as happened with the community manager, some companies advertise for one without being very clear about what the role involves.
What is a business intelligence developer and what do they do?
As the name suggests, they are in charge of developing intelligence in business, or building smart businesses. This professional is a data expert and must have a solid background in computer science.
Working with software and databases is their day-to-day, along with using algorithms and data mining to try to satisfy users while helping the company cut costs through the study of that data.
It is worth saying that many companies tend to mix up the knowledge or skills needed to hire each of these professionals. For example, a business intelligence developer doesn’t need to know about social media. Likewise, a community manager is not a PR person, and so on.
Further reading
Featured image: SAMHSA from Rockville, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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