A new study has discovered that businesses in France, the UK, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands now expect new recruits to be data proficient. Commissioning the study, Alteryx found that most companies viewed data and analytics skills as more important than industry experience and management skills.
These findings are supported by The Business Grammar Report that was commissioned by leaders in self-service data analytics, which surveyed over 500 European business leaders. This study found that 30% of its participants consider data and analytics skills to be the most important skill when hiring a potential employee. Only 28% viewed multilingualism in the same respect.
Data proficiency within the business world
These findings have identified a shift within the business world, in terms of how data is managed. Alteryx’s research found that only 15% of European business leaders across five countries leave data analysis to an IT department. In addition, half of UK businesses are currently teaching their employees to be data proficient.
In France and Germany almost half of their businesses (in each country) are doing the same. Four out of five European business leaders felt that data analytics should be a compulsory part of all MBA programmes. In the Netherlands and Germany, 88% and 87%, respectively agreed with this view.
Stuart Wilson, VP EMEA Alteryx Inc, stated that “it makes sense to equip every business analyst with self-service tools that allow them to ask questions of their data”. . 42% of those who were surveyed admitted that decisions on data accessibility still lay with their IT team. He admitted that any business analyst who is data proficient could expect a 36% higher salary than someone who is not. 30% allowed their departmental leaders responsibility over decisions.
Andy Cotgreave, a Senior Technical Evangelist at Tableau admitted superior businesses are those that “educate their teams” on data specific matters. French IT teams still take the lead on data management and analysis decisions, according to 51% of respondents. Yet, in Denmark this statistic is much lower, 31%.
Challenges with self-service data analysis
However, problems arise when businesses begin to manage their own data. Incomplete data is one of the main problems that face business leaders. 41% of those who were surveyed agreed with this view. In Germany 53% reported this issue as their main obstacle.
Edited from press release by Ruby Arenson
