UK bosses willing to pay 30% more for data skills

data 2Developing a love of data and analytics might seem a turn off to the unitiated but they are now two of the most important skills UK firms crave – surpassing even multilingualism – with those in the know commanding salaries which are 30% higher than data celibates.
That is the conclusion of a new study, conducted by Alteryx report and entitled The Business Grammar Report, which asked UK business leaders to detail the most important competencies in the workforce today.
One of the key drivers is the fact that data is no longer “confined to the IT department or technical specialists”. Just 15% of UK businesses are still doing it the old-fashioned way, while almost a third (31%) are empowering their employees with self-service analytics tools.
The need for these skills has increased so much that more than three quarters (79%) of business leaders believe data analytics should be a part of MBA programmes.
“Our research found that UK business leaders would be willing to offer a 30% higher salary to someone who is data proficient over one who isn’t,” commented Stuart Wilson, VP EMEA, Alteryx.
“The change in attitude that’s taking place in boardrooms today shows the value of being data-savvy and how important it is that effective analytics are made available to business users. It makes sense to equip every business analyst with self-service tools that allow them to ask questions of their data.”
“Most organisations depend on the IT department or business intelligence team for analytics-based decision-making, but things are changing. Business leaders are demanding more agile and flexible insight. Organisations can boost the speed and quality of analytics by adopting a ‘DIY approach’ and providing self-service analytics tools,” Wilson concluded.

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