Data analyst job description
Where we source our data
Let’s get real. Job information online can often be overly optimistic — conveniently glossing over the raw bits. But when you’re making decisions about your future, you need all the facts.
That’s why we anonymously surveyed data analysts about their job, with hopes of getting an honest insight into what it’s really like.
While we did our best to ensure respondents were Australians and verified their job titles with proof of employment, we can’t guarantee complete accuracy — or that your experiences in the field will reflect theirs. So, we suggest that you take these insights as a guide only and try to talk to people in the field before making an important decision.
Where we source our data
Let’s get real. Job information online can often be overly optimistic — conveniently glossing over the raw bits. But when you’re making decisions about your future, you need all the facts.
That’s why we anonymously surveyed data analysts about their job, with hopes of getting an honest insight into what it’s really like.
While we did our best to ensure respondents were Australians and verified their job titles with proof of employment, we can’t guarantee complete accuracy — or that your experiences in the field will reflect theirs. So, we suggest that you take these insights as a guide only and try to talk to people in the field before making an important decision.
Organising
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Intellectual
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Imaginative
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Tasks and responsibilities for a data analyst
A data analyst is involved in:
- Gathering data from different sources that are relevant to business needs
- Analysing data to make sense out of raw numbers, large datasets, and graphs using statistical tools
- Identifying important trends that could affect the business
- Creating reports and communicating findings to colleagues and business stakeholders, drawing on your communication skills
- Designing and maintaining databases using data management skills
- Making recommendations about what the business should do, based on the data and your interpretation of it
Reasons to choose this job
Based on our career survey data, these are the factors that workers said were most important to them when choosing this job.
High paying
Data analysts salaries typically start high, with an average wage that shoots in the six-figure range as you gain seniority. The financial reward comes from having high-level technical skills in high demand.
Enjoyable
Representing data to others can be satisfying and even draws on your creativity. It’s interesting to look at data to find patterns and trends. There’s always room to expand your skills to find and solve new problems.
Job security
Data analysts are highly skilled and good ones are considered invaluable. People with these skills are much sought after because they have a high level of technical knowledge that is hard to replicate.
Job satisfaction
Overall job satisfaction
This overall score combines the critical factors in job satisfaction. It includes fulfilment, stress levels, and opportunities for advancement, based on our career survey data.
Stress level
How stressful workers feel their job is, based on our career survey data.
Fulfilment
How personally rewarding workers feel their job is, based on our career survey data.
Skill level
The skill level required to do this job is based on both our career survey data and official data from the Labour Market Information Portal.
Job market trends for a data analyst
Jobs in the industries of mathematics and statistics have moderate projected future growth. This growth is likely to be even higher for data analysts as businesses move to be more data-driven and tech-focused.
In 2020, 34,100 people were working in related tech industries, and by 2025, the industry size is expected to reach 43,500.
Data analysts work in a range of industries requiring business intelligence, including finance, healthcare, entertainment (for example, finding data-driven ways to get people to stay subscribed to a streaming service), and the sharing economy.
Median salary
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Projected job growth
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Pathway options
Job pathways are drawn from the Australian Apprenticeships Pathways site.
As they upgrade their skills and experience, data analysts build solid skills to put them in line for promotions.
Potential career paths include:
Mid
-
Systems analyst
Most common qualification: Diploma of Information Technology (ICT50120)
Senior
-
Business analyst
Most common qualification: Diploma of Information Technology (ICT50120)
-
IT project manager
Most common qualification: Advanced Diploma of Information Technology (ICT60220)
Skills you might already have
Based on our career survey data, the soft skills that workers said were most needed to do their job well.
If you’re interested in data analysis, you likely have natural personality traits that set you up for success. Or, there may be relevant soft data analyst skills you can work to develop.
Crucial soft skills for data analysts include:
Problem-solving
Businesses set data analysts key problems. You might be asked a question like: How do we get people to use our product? How do we make sure that people keep coming back to our app? How can we predict our clients’ future health risks to offer them preventative care? If solving complex problems such as these in informed, technical ways appeals to you, you’ve got a great start towards a data analysis career.
Decision-making
Data analysts collect data relevant to business needs and offer insights by drawing on interpretations and critical thinking skills to make solid recommendations.
Time management
Data analysts ensure that businesses are making efficient use of the data available to them quickly. This requires data analysts to nail down a disciplined process and meet appropriate reporting deadlines. Well-organised people who plan their time wisely and break down tasks into key milestones are well-suited to this role.
Hard skills
The job-specific skills that workers said were most important, supplemented with data from JobOutlook and online job advertisements.
University-level training is necessary to get the technical skills required to be a data analyst. These technical skills include:
Research and analysis
Data analysts mine data from a wide range of primary and secondary sources. This means knowing how to find, collect, manipulate, analyse, and interpret data, as well as a solid grounding in statistical methods, computer modelling, and data visualisation.
Coding
Data analysts use various programming languages to collect, analyse, and interpret data. Relevant languages include Python, R, SQL and other query languages, and potentially HTML5, Javascript, Java, C/C++, MATLAB, SAS, and potentially others depending on business needs and industry. While it’s helpful to know specific languages your organisation uses, it’s more vital that you demonstrate to employers that you can learn how to code in general. Any coding background will help you to pick up new languages.
General computer operation
Data analysts need to be whizzes with computers and confident users of various programs like Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. Aside from technical coding, data analysts also use computers to communicate and visualise findings with software like Tableau. You also need a solid grasp of how computers generally work, such as where problems might appear as computers encode information. This knowledge will allow you to compensate for computer limitations in your workflow.
Finding concrete answers to abstract questions
I meet with a coworker who has an abstract question that they would like answered. My role is to take this abstract question, break it down and devise a way to answer it empirically using data.
Jesse Peterson, Data Analyst
How to become a data analyst
-
Study
A Bachelor of Information Technology or similar bachelor degree in maths, statistics, information systems, computer science or a combination of these areas is an excellent start to getting the skills and knowledge you need to be a data analyst.
-
Gain real-world work experience
As you study, be on the lookout for relevant opportunities to build your data analytics skills in hands-on ways. You may be able to join a research project, take on an internship, or even work on your own self-driven data analytics projects.
-
Find a job
Graduate entry-level data analyst jobs are available to those with relevant qualifications and hands-on experience. However, as it can sometimes be a competitive area, you may need to consider other options as a graduate.
-
Consider further study
t’s common for people working in data analysis to have master’s level qualifications in data science, machine learning, statistical analysis, big data, and data analytics. You can also enrol in shorter bootcamps or certificate programs. These qualifications will allow you to hone skills more specific to data analysis and deepen your knowledge.
Explore related qualifications
Diploma of Information Technology
Become fluent in the fundamentals of IT. This course, while not usually enough by itself to land you a data analyst role, can serve as an entry pathway to the Bachelor-level course (often going straight into the second year). This is helpful if you’re an interstate or international student, over 25, a VCAL student, or didn’t get a high enough ATAR score. With this qualification, you’ll be ready to enter the IT workforce in an entry-level role, laying the foundation for a more senior role.
6 providers offer this course
Bachelor of Information Technology
Immerse yourself in the world of IT with areas of study such as information systems, cloud computing, computer programming, data science and analysis, computer algorithms, SQL, app development, cybersecurity, tech entrepreneurship, and more. This qualification will build your confidence with computers and coding, give you an overview of the fundamentals of all things IT, and will show you how technological skills fit into the world of business. A bachelor of Information Technology typically takes three years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent).
1 providers offer this course
Related subjects
People interested in analysing data and using technology to solve complex problems may also like to investigate:
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Job cluster: The Technologist
What are job clusters?
The seven job clusters are sets of closely related jobs that share skills, making it easy to apply skills learned in one career to another.
The idea of the seven job clusters first appeared in a 2016 research report by the Foundation for Young Australians, titled “The New Work Mindset”. Researchers analysed thousands of online job advertisements and found that jobs are more similar than commonly thought — and the skills you gain in one position are easy to bring to another. In fact, they can help you get 13 other closely related jobs.
This model is a great way to think about 21st-century careers, where the average person changes career five times. We’ve used this framework (along with the much-loved Holland Codes model) to build a career quiz.
Why not take it and find out which job cluster feels like home?
What are job clusters?
The seven job clusters are sets of closely related jobs that share skills, making it easy to apply skills learned in one career to another.
The idea of the seven job clusters first appeared in a 2016 research report by the Foundation for Young Australians, titled “The New Work Mindset”. Researchers analysed thousands of online job advertisements and found that jobs are more similar than commonly thought — and the skills you gain in one position are easy to bring to another. In fact, they can help you get 13 other closely related jobs.
This model is a great way to think about 21st-century careers, where the average person changes career five times. We’ve used this framework (along with the much-loved Holland Codes model) to build a career quiz.
Why not take it and find out which job cluster feels like home?
Data analysts and other technical roles are suited to the career personality of The Technologist.
Because you’re interested in all things tech, as a Technologist, you love tinkering with gadgets, using devices or software to solve problems, and using code to accomplish your goals. Perhaps you’re a gamer or an inventor, or you find fun in taking things apart to understand how they work before putting them back together. You’re likely interested in fields that give you the satisfaction of using your problem-solving skills while letting you create a unique solution.
Take the Career Quiz to discover what jobs are a great fit for you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a career in data analysis?
Get started by completing a diploma or bachelor’s degree in a related area such as information technology, information systems, mathematics, computer science, or statistics. As you learn, try to get some hands-on work experience by participating in a research project, internship, or even just making up your own data analytics projects. You may get a data analyst job as a university graduate. If not, work in related fields like statistics. You may also be interested in undertaking a master’s degree in data analytics or data science to get more specific, more advanced training at any stage of your career.
How long does it take to become a data analyst?
It takes a varying amount of time to get a job as a data analyst. At a minimum, a two-year diploma is required. However, don’t be discouraged if it takes a few more years of work experience or postgraduate studies to get your preferred role because there are other relevant job opportunities out there.
Is it hard to become a data analyst?
Data analysts are sought after because they are highly trained in a specific and valuable skill set. As businesses grow to rely more on technology and data to make their business decisions, opportunities for data analysts will expand over time. The high demand for data analysts doesn’t make becoming one particularly easy. You need to make sure you have the skills so sought after, which will require diligence and study. That said, if you’re dedicated, there is a high chance that there is a data analyst role for you.