Research
Data analyst jobs: what the research says
Graduate hiring has fallen, and competition for graduate roles is fierce. Yet UK data shows data analysts in critical demand, and employers worldwide expect data roles to be among the fastest-growing jobs to 2030. We reviewed the latest research to see what this means for graduates starting out.
Summary
Five key findings
- Graduate hiring is down. Employers in the Institute of Student Employers’ survey cut graduate hiring by 8%, with 140 applications for every vacancy. In July 2026, graduate job adverts on Indeed were about 7% lower than a year earlier, the lowest for the time of year since 2020.
- Data analysts are in critical demand. Skills England classed data analysts as one of 62 occupations in critical demand in 2025, out of 368 it assessed.
- Employers expect data jobs to grow. Three of the 15 jobs expected to grow fastest to 2030 in the World Economic Forum’s global employer survey are data roles, and seven in ten employers see analytical thinking as essential.
- AI is changing the job and raising the bar. Almost half (48.8%) of UK data and analytics job adverts on Indeed mention AI, compared with 9.4% of all adverts. PwC found that UK workers with AI skills earn a 34% premium on average.
- Data job adverts are well below their peak. After a hiring boom in 2021 and 2022, data and analytics adverts on Indeed are about a quarter of their 2022 peak and half their early-2020 level. Over the past year they fell by less than adverts overall. Employers can be choosy, so evidence of real skills matters more than ever.
1. The graduate market
Graduate hiring has fallen
Graduates starting out in 2026 face one of the toughest markets in years. Large employers are hiring fewer graduates, and each vacancy still attracts 140 applications on average.
−8%
Graduate hiring at the employers in the Institute of Student Employers’ survey, compared with a year earlier. Apprentice hiring rose by 8% at the same employers.
Institute of Student Employers, Student Recruitment Survey 2025
140
Applications for every graduate vacancy on average, the same as the year before.
Institute of Student Employers, Student Recruitment Survey 2025
Lowest since 2020
In July 2026, graduate job adverts on Indeed were about 7% lower than a year earlier, the lowest for the time of year since the height of the pandemic.
Indeed Hiring Lab, 2026 Mid-Year UK Jobs and Hiring Trends Report
2. Demand in the UK
Data analysts are in critical demand
Skills England, the government body for skills, scores 368 occupations across the UK labour market on measures such as pay, job adverts and visas. In its 2025 analysis, 62 were in critical demand, meaning substantially higher demand than usual. Data analysts were one of them.
- Four signs of demand. Pay growth, a pay premium, and the number of job adverts and visas compared with the size of the workforce all pointed to high demand.
- A sizeable profession. About 126,000 people work as data analysts in the UK.
Skills England publishes these as official statistics in development, based on data up to 2025. They measure the level of demand, not a shortage of workers, and cover all data analyst jobs, not only graduate roles.
368 occupations by level of demand, 2025
Data analysts are in the critical demand group
- 62 critical demand
- 125 elevated demand
- 181 not in high demand
Source: Skills England, Occupations in demand 2025, occupations by demand data file.
Show the data as a table
| Level of demand | Occupations |
|---|---|
| Critical demand (includes data analysts) | 62 |
| Elevated demand | 125 |
| Not in high demand | 181 |
| Total | 368 |
3. The outlook
Employers expect data jobs to grow
The World Economic Forum surveyed more than 1,000 employers worldwide about the jobs they expect to grow and shrink between 2025 and 2030. Three of the 15 fastest-growing jobs are data roles.
The 15 fastest-growing jobs, 2025 to 2030
Ranked by expected net growth (%). Data roles are highlighted.
- Big data specialistsData
- Fintech engineers
- AI and machine learning specialists
- Software and applications developers
- Security management specialists
- Data warehousing specialistsData
- Autonomous and electric vehicle specialists
- UI and UX designers
- Light truck or delivery services drivers
- Internet of things specialists
- Data analysts and scientistsData
- Environmental engineers
- Information security analysts
- DevOps engineers
- Renewable energy engineers
Source: World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025, Figure 2.2. Global survey.
- Analytical thinking tops the list. Seven in ten employers see analytical thinking as essential, more than any other core skill.
- Routine data work is expected to shrink. Data entry clerks are third on the list of fastest-declining jobs. The expected growth is in analysis and judgement, not in typing data in.
Projected US job growth, 2025 to 2035
A US government projection, shown for context. It is not a UK forecast.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Show the data as a table
| Occupation | Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 |
|---|---|
| Data scientists | 35% |
| All occupations | 3% |
4. AI and the analyst
AI is changing the job and raising the bar
Data and analytics has the highest share of job adverts mentioning AI of any category Indeed tracks in the UK. Employers still need analysts. They increasingly want analysts who can work with AI.
“Those who can demonstrate genuine capability with AI tools are increasingly insulated from the broader softness in hiring demand.”
34%
The average pay premium for UK workers with AI skills, up from 11% in PwC’s previous report.
Share of UK job adverts that mention AI
Adverts on Indeed. Data and analytics: three months to June 2026. All adverts: end of June 2026.
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab, 2026 Mid-Year UK Jobs and Hiring Trends Report.
Show the data as a table
| Job adverts | Share mentioning AI |
|---|---|
| Data and analytics | 48.8% |
| All UK job adverts | 9.4% |
5. The full picture
What the research doesn’t say
Good decisions need the whole picture, so here is what the evidence does not show.
Data jobs aren’t immune to the slowdown
Data and analytics adverts on Indeed are about half their February 2020 level, a bigger fall than for all UK adverts (about 31% lower), and about a quarter of their 2022 peak. Over the past year they fell by about 5%, less than the 8% fall across all adverts. This is our analysis of Indeed’s public data to 18 September 2026.
Adverts aren’t hires
Advert counts show what employers post on job boards, not how many people they hire. The Institute of Student Employers warns that job board figures “might not reflect the reality of hiring”.
Demand isn’t a job offer
Critical demand covers all data analyst jobs, including experienced roles, and is based on data up to 2025. With 140 applications per graduate vacancy, you still need to stand out.
Forecasts aren’t guarantees
The World Economic Forum figures are employers’ expectations worldwide, and the US projection is for data scientists in the US. Neither is a UK forecast for graduate analysts.
6. What it means for you
If you’re starting out in data
Show, don’t tell
With 140 applications per vacancy, what sets you apart is a portfolio of projects on real data and practical experience you can talk about in interviews.
Use AI, and check it
Almost half of data adverts mention AI. Learn to use AI tools to work faster, and to spot when they get it wrong.
Apply early and widely
Many graduate schemes open in September and October. Junior analyst roles are advertised all year.
Look past the job title
Search for insight, BI, reporting and performance analyst roles too. Our guide to becoming a graduate data analyst explains them.
Method and sources
How we did this research
We reviewed reports and data, most of them published between January 2025 and September 2026, by government bodies, employer organisations, job sites and consultancies. We used only figures we could check in the original report or dataset, and we say where figures are global or from the US rather than the UK. Where we analysed data ourselves, we say so. We will update this page as new editions are published, starting with the Institute of Student Employers’ 2026 survey in October.
- Student Recruitment Survey 2025, Institute of Student Employers, October 2025
- 2026 Mid-Year UK Jobs and Hiring Trends Report, Indeed Hiring Lab, August 2026
- Job postings tracker, UK data by category, Indeed Hiring Lab, data to 18 September 2026
- Occupations in demand 2025, Skills England, December 2025 (updated January 2026)
- Future of Jobs Report 2025, World Economic Forum, January 2025
- UK AI Jobs Barometer 2026, PwC, June 2026
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: data scientists, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 to 2035 projections
- Data analyst job profile, Prospects, October 2024 (salaries)
FAQ
Questions about data careers
Is data analysis a good career in the UK in 2026?
The evidence is positive, but not one-sided. Skills England classes data analysts as an occupation in critical demand, and employers worldwide expect data roles to be among the fastest-growing jobs to 2030. But graduate hiring has fallen, and data job adverts are about a quarter of their 2022 peak, so you need evidence of real skills to stand out.
Will AI replace data analysts?
Nobody can say for certain. Our reading of the evidence is that AI is changing the job rather than replacing it. Almost half of UK data and analytics job adverts on Indeed mention AI, and employers worldwide expect data roles to grow. But PwC found that demand for the UK roles most exposed to AI has been broadly flat since 2012, while demand for the least exposed roles more than doubled. Analysts who use AI well, and check its output, are best placed.
How much do graduate data analysts earn?
Prospects puts entry-level salaries at £23,000 to £25,000, and around £30,000 on graduate schemes at larger companies, with higher pay in London and other big cities. Our guide to becoming a graduate data analyst has more detail.
Do I need a maths or computer science degree?
Not always. Prospects says you can become a data analyst with any degree if you have the relevant skills. What matters most is evidence that you can use the tools on real data, such as SQL, Excel and Power BI.
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