An Analyst is responsible for gathering insight from large sets of data, they need to be able to understand trends and customer needs in order to meet business goals. Analyst jobs have increased by 60% over the past year and will continue to be in high demand as companies turn to make data-driven business decisions to improve services, products, and operations.
We’ve put together a list of the top 10 Analyst jobs in 2022, including responsibilities, skills, and their average salaries.
1. Business Analyst
A Business Analyst is responsible for creating and maintaining the processes that enable businesses to optimise performance and identify issues to make data-driven decisions. They need to be able to conduct deep dive analysis to provide insight into identified business issues, as well as be able to suggest recommendations to improve business operations. Business Analyst jobs have increased by 51% over the past year.
Average salary: £54,000
Hard skills: Agile, stakeholder management, analytical skills, SQL, understanding of user stories.
Soft skills: Communications skills, mathematical skills, problem-solving skills, business acumen.
Find Business Analyst jobs here
2. Support Analyst
Support Analysts provide user support and assistance to company employees and customers, ensuring all problems and requests are dealt with in a fast and efficient manner. They need to be able to provide IT support to business desktop computers, servers, and networks. Support Analysts sometimes work alongside IT Managers to help support technical projects. Support Analyst jobs have increased by 50% over the past year.
Average salary: £31,500
Hard skills: Windows, Microsoft, SQL, Azure, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
Soft skills: Customer service skills, communications skills, organisational skills, and problem-solving skills.
Find Support Analyst jobs here
3. Data Analyst
A Data Analyst needs to be able to identify, analyse and interpret large sets and data and turn them into meaningful and usable reports, in order to assist with data-driven decision-making. Because they are analysing data, they need strong mathematical skills and a broad understanding of various programming languages. Data Analyst jobs have increased by 76% over the past year.
Average salary: £45,000
Hard skills: SQL, analytical skills, Power BI, Python, Microsoft Excel, Tableau, Agile, data visualisation, and modelling.
Soft skills: Attention to detail, business acumen, communications skills, mathematical skills, and critical thinking skills.
4. Service Analyst
A Service Analyst is responsible for diagnosing, resolving, and escalating IT issues. They also need to gather data and complete research into market trends, looking into how the company can improve on processes. Service Analyst jobs have increased by 50% over the past year.
Average salary: £25,750
Hard skills: Windows, ITIL, Microsoft, incident management, analytical skills, and various IT systems.
Soft skills: Customer service skills, self-motivational skills, communications skills, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills.
Find Service Analyst jobs here
5. Security Analyst
Security Analysts are responsible for managing the processes that counter security breaches and they need to be able to anticipate the likelihood of security alerts, incidents, and disasters. Communication skills, both written and verbal are important as they need to be able to write reports and provide insights on the effectiveness of security policies. Security Analyst jobs have increased by 54% over the past year.
Average salary: £50,000
Hard skills: Cyber security, Information security, incident response, GDPR, firewalls, risk management, threat intelligence, and security operations.
Soft skills: Mathematical skills, adaptability skills, communications skills, business acumen, and critical thinking skills.
Find Security Analyst jobs here
6. Systems Analyst
Systems Analysts are responsible for examining company software, hardware, and IT systems, to make sure they are operating in line with business needs. They need to have strong communication skills, as they need to be able to speak to users about how systems work, after receiving feedback, they will need to produce specifications for the modified systems. Systems Analyst jobs have increased by 66% over the past year.
Average salary: £42,000
Hard skills: Programming languages (SQL), Microsoft, analytical skills, Agile, stakeholder management, Oracle, ERP, ITIL, and testing.
Soft skills: Communication skills, attention to detail, business acumen, adaptability, and critical thinking skills.
7. Financial Analyst
A Financial Analyst is responsible for analysing the company’s financial performance against key business metrics, they then report on financial highlights that will help with business plans and budgets. Financial Analyst work with various teams including sales and operations to perform analyses of product and operations costs, identifying opportunities for cost savings, and profit improvement. Financial Analyst jobs have increased by 37% over the past year.
Average salary: £63,000
Hard skills: Agile, stakeholder management, analytical skills, asset management, information security, and project management.
Soft skills: Organisational skills, mathematical skills, business acumen, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, and negotiation skills.
Find Financial Analyst jobs here
8. Test Analyst
A Test Analyst works with developers during the product lifecycle and assesses various elements to make sure the system or product complies with strict technical specifications. Test Analysts find and fix faults that were missed during the development stage, guaranteeing that the product functions properly before it is put to market. Test Analyst jobs have increased by 12% over the past year.
Average salary: £41,500
Hard skills: Test automation, Agile, software testing, SQL, C#, test scripting, scenario testing, and JavaScript.
Soft skills: Attention to detail, organisational skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, and creative thinking skills.
9. Product Analyst
Product Analysts work with developers and users to create and improve products. They need to be able to research market trends and carry out communications with audiences, in order to gain feedback on how to optimise products. Product Analyst jobs have increased by 148 % over the past year.
Average salary: £59,250
Hard skills: SQL, Agile, Python, analytical skills, a/b Testing, project management, and data visualisation.
Soft skills: Communication skills, business acumen, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills.
10. Operations Analyst
An Operations Analyst contributes to the improvement of productivity of processes within a company by gathering data and analysing it to create modelling approaches that enable managers to simplify operations and cut down on wastage of time and resources. Operations Analyst jobs have increased by 77% over the past year.
Average salary: £40,250
Hard skills: Microsoft, analytical skills, security operations, cyber security, Agile, ITIL, SQL, Oracle. Incident management and data security.
Soft skills: Communication skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, teamwork skills and business acumen.
Find Operations Analyst jobs here
These are just of the few Analyst roles that are most in demand, analysts can work in a number of different industries, from finance to healthcare, retail, and entertainment, and typically all analyst roles have similar skills, and therefore the role gives you the opportunity to work within an industry based on your interests.