This project delves into the data job market, analyzing:
- 💰 Top-paying data analyst roles
- 🔥 Most sought-after skills in data analytics
- 📈 The intersection of high demand and high salaries
Through data exploration and visualization, this project provides insights into the evolving landscape of data analytics careers, helping professionals and aspiring analysts make informed career decisions.
🔍 SQL queries? Check them out here: project_sql folder
This project was created to help navigate the data analyst job market by identifying the most in-demand and highest-paying skills, making it easier for others to find the best job opportunities
- Which data analyst jobs pay the most?
- What skills do these high-paying jobs require?
- What skills are most in demand for data analysts?
- Which skills lead to higher salaries?
- What are the best skills to learn for a data analyst?
To analyze the data analyst job market, I relied on these key tools:
- SQL: The backbone of my analysis, allowing me to query the database and unearth critical insights.
- PostgreSQL: The database management system for storing and managing job postings.
- Visual Studio Code: My main tool for writing and running SQL queries.
- Git & GitHub: Used for version control, sharing SQL scripts, and tracking project progress.
For this project, each query was designed to explore different aspects of the data analyst job market. Here’s my approach to answering each question:
I analyzed data analyst roles by filtering for the highest average salaries, considering job location and focusing on remote opportunities. This helped identify the most lucrative positions in the field.
SELECT
job_id,
job_title,
job_location,
job_schedule_type,
salary_year_avg,
job_posted_date,
name AS company_name
FROM
job_postings_fact
LEFT JOIN company_dim ON job_postings_fact.company_id = company_dim.company_id
WHERE
job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
job_location = 'Anywhere' AND
salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY
salary_year_avg DESC
LIMIT 10;Here's the breakdown of the top data analyst jobs in 2023:
- High Salary Potential: The top 10 highest-paying data analyst roles offer salaries ranging from $184,000 to $650,000.
- Diverse Employers: Companies like SmartAsset, Meta, and AT&T are among those offering competitive salaries, highlighting demand across industries.
- Varied Job Titles: Roles range from Data Analyst to Director of Analytics, showcasing different specializations within the field.
Bar graph visualizing the salary for the top 10 salaries for data analysts;
To identify the key skills for top-paying roles, I combined job postings with skills data. This helped reveal the most valued skills that employers seek for high-salary positions.
WITH top_paying_jobs AS (
SELECT
job_id,
job_title,
salary_year_avg,
name AS company_name
FROM
job_postings_fact
LEFT JOIN company_dim ON job_postings_fact.company_id = company_dim.company_id
WHERE
job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND
job_location = 'Anywhere' AND
salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY
salary_year_avg DESC
LIMIT 10
)
SELECT
top_paying_jobs.*,
skills
FROM top_paying_jobs
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON top_paying_jobs.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
ORDER BY
salary_year_avg DESC;Most In-Demand Skills for Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs (2024)
- SQL is the most required skill, appearing in 8 out of 10 top-paying jobs.
- Python follows closely with a bold count of 7.
- Tableau is also highly sought after, with a bold count of 6. Other skills like R, Snowflake, Pandas, and Excel show varying degrees of demand.
Bar graph visualizing the count of skills for the top 10 paying jobs for data analysts;
This query analyzed job postings to uncover the skills employers seek most, highlighting the key areas of demand in the field.
SELECT
skills,
COUNT(skills_job_dim.job_id) AS demand_count
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON job_postings_fact.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
WHERE
job_title_short = 'Data Analyst'
AND job_work_from_home = True
GROUP BY
skills
ORDER BY
demand_count DESC
LIMIT 5;Here's the breakdown of the most demanded skills for data analysts in 2024
- SQL and Excel are core essentials, reinforcing the importance of data processing and spreadsheet skills..
- Programming and Visualization Tools like Python, Tableau, and Power BI re highly valued, highlighting the growing need for technical expertise in data analysis and storytelling
| Skills | Demand Count |
|---|---|
| SQL | 7291 |
| Excel | 4611 |
| Python | 4330 |
| Tableau | 3745 |
| Power BI | 2609 |
| Table of the demand for the top 5 skills in data analyst job postings |
Analyzing average salaries for different skills helped identify which ones lead to the highest earnings.
SELECT
skills,
ROUND(AVG(salary_year_avg), 0) AS avg_salary
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON job_postings_fact.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
WHERE
job_title_short = 'Data Analyst'
AND salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
AND job_work_from_home = True
GROUP BY
skills
ORDER BY
avg_salary DESC
LIMIT 25;Breakdown of Top-Paying Skills for Data Analysts:
- High Demand for Big Data & ML Skills: Top salaries are commanded by analysts skilled in big data technologies (PySpark, Couchbase), machine learning tools (DataRobot, Jupyter), and Python libraries (Pandas, NumPy), reflecting the industry's high valuation of data processing and predictive modeling capabilities.
- Software Development & Deployment Proficiency: Knowledge in development and deployment tools (GitLab, Kubernetes, Airflow) indicates a lucrative crossover between data analysis and engineering, with a premium on skills that facilitate automation and efficient data pipeline management.
- Cloud Computing Expertise: Familiarity with cloud and data engineering tools (Elasticsearch, Databricks, GCP) underscores the growing importance of cloud-based analytics environments, suggesting that cloud proficiency significantly boosts earning potential in data analytics.
| Skills | Average Salary ($) |
|---|---|
| pyspark | 208,172 |
| bitbucket | 189,155 |
| couchbase | 160,515 |
| watson | 160,515 |
| datarobot | 155,486 |
| gitlab | 154,500 |
| swift | 153,750 |
| jupyter | 152,777 |
| pandas | 151,821 |
| elasticsearch | 145,000 |
| Table of the average salary for the top 10 paying skills for data analysts |
By analyzing both demand and salary data, this query identified skills that are not only highly sought after but also lead to higher salaries, helping prioritize the most valuable skills for career growth.
SELECT
skills_dim.skill_id,
skills_dim.skills,
COUNT(skills_job_dim.job_id) AS demand_count,
ROUND(AVG(job_postings_fact.salary_year_avg), 0) AS avg_salary
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON job_postings_fact.job_id = skills_job_dim.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_job_dim.skill_id = skills_dim.skill_id
WHERE
job_title_short = 'Data Analyst'
AND salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL
AND job_work_from_home = True
GROUP BY
skills_dim.skill_id
HAVING
COUNT(skills_job_dim.job_id) > 10
ORDER BY
avg_salary DESC,
demand_count DESC
LIMIT 25;| Skill ID | Skills | Demand Count | Average Salary ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | go | 27 | 115,320 |
| 234 | confluence | 11 | 114,210 |
| 97 | hadoop | 22 | 113,193 |
| 80 | snowflake | 37 | 112,948 |
| 74 | azure | 34 | 111,225 |
| 77 | bigquery | 13 | 109,654 |
| 76 | aws | 32 | 108,317 |
| 4 | java | 17 | 106,906 |
| 194 | ssis | 12 | 106,683 |
| 233 | jira | 20 | 104,918 |
Table of the most optimal skills for data analyst sorted by salary
Key Skills for Data Analysts in 2024:
- High-Demand Programming Languages: Python and R stand out for their high demand, with demand counts of 236 and 148 respectively. Despite their high demand, their average salaries are around $101,397 for Python and $100,499 for R, indicating that proficiency in these languages is highly valued but also widely available.
- Cloud Tools and Technologies: Skills in specialized technologies such as Snowflake, Azure, AWS, and BigQuery show significant demand with relatively high average salaries, pointing towards the growing importance of cloud platforms and big data technologies in data analysis.
- Business Intelligence and Visualization Tools: Tableau and Looker, with demand counts of 230 and 49 respectively, and average salaries around $99,288 and $103,795, highlight the critical role of data visualization and business intelligence in deriving actionable insights from data.
- Database Technologies: The demand for skills in traditional and NoSQL databases (Oracle, SQL Server, NoSQL) with average salaries ranging from $97,786 to $104,534, reflects the enduring need for data storage, retrieval, and management expertise.
Through this project, I significantly enhanced my SQL skills and data analysis expertise:
- 🧩 Complex Query Crafting: Mastered the art of advanced SQL, merging tables like a pro and wielding WITH clauses for ninja-level temp table maneuvers.
- 📊 Data Aggregation: Got cozy with GROUP BY and turned aggregate functions like COUNT() and AVG() into my data-summarizing sidekicks.
- 💡 Analytical Wizardry: Leveled up my real-world puzzle-solving skills, turning questions into actionable, insightful SQL queries.
From the analysis, several general insights emerged:
- Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs: The highest-paying jobs for data analysts that allow remote work offer a wide range of salaries, the highest at $650,000!
- Skills for Top-Paying Jobs: High-paying data analyst jobs require advanced proficiency in SQL, suggesting it’s a critical skill for earning a top salary.
- Most In-Demand Skills: SQL is also the most demanded skill in the data analyst job market, thus making it essential for job seekers.
- Skills with Higher Salaries: Specialized skills, such as SVN and Solidity, are associated with the highest average salaries, indicating a premium on niche expertise.
- Optimal Skills for Job Market Value: SQL leads in demand and offers for a high average salary, positioning it as one of the most optimal skills for data analysts to learn to maximize their market value.
This project enhanced my SQL skills and provided valuable insights into the data analyst job market. The findings from the analysis serve as a guide to prioritizing skill development and job search efforts. Aspiring data analysts can better position themselves in a competitive job market by focusing on high-demand, high-salary skills. This exploration highlights the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to emerging trends in the field of data analytics.
Boniface ngechu
📧 Email: [email protected]
📌 Location: Nairobi, Kenya