SQL Job Data Analysis

Data-driven analysis of the data analyst job market using SQL to uncover salary trends, skill demands, and optimal career development strategies for remote positions.

Project Overview

This project analyzes job posting data to answer critical questions:

• What are the highest-paying data analyst jobs?
• What skills do top-paying jobs require?
• Which skills are most in-demand?
• Which skills offer the best salary returns?
• What's the optimal skill combination for career growth?

Analysis & Key Insights

1. Top Paying Jobs

Query: 1_top_paying_jobs.sql

Identifies the top 20 highest-paying remote data analyst positions.

SELECT job_title, job_location, 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 20;

Insight: Premium remote data analyst roles exist with significant salary ranges, providing benchmark targets for career progression.

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2. Skills for Top Paying Jobs

Query: 2_top_paying_job_skills.sql

Maps skills required by the top 10 highest-paying positions using a CTE.

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 skills_job_dim.job_id = top_paying_jobs.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_dim.skill_id = skills_job_dim.skill_id
ORDER BY salary_year_avg DESC;

Key Findings:

• SQL and Python are the most critical skills (industry standard)
• Tableau is #3, showing high demand for data visualization
• Cloud platforms (Snowflake, Azure) indicate shift to cloud-based environments

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3. Most In-Demand Skills

Query: 3_top_demanded_skills.sql

Quantifies market demand across all remote data analyst positions.

SELECT skills, COUNT(*) AS demand_count
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON skills_job_dim.job_id = job_postings_fact.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_dim.skill_id = skills_job_dim.skill_id
WHERE job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' AND job_location = 'Anywhere'
GROUP BY skills
ORDER BY demand_count DESC
LIMIT 5;

Top 5 Skills by Demand:

1. SQL - 7,291 postings (foundational skill for data extraction)
2. Excel - High demand for ad-hoc analysis and reporting
3. Python - Advanced analysis, automation, and modeling
4. Tableau - Leading BI visualization platform
5. Power BI - Second major BI tool for storytelling with data

Insight: The market demands versatility across the entire data lifecycle: extraction (SQL), manipulation (Python), analysis (Excel/Python), and visualization (Tableau/Power BI).

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4. Top Paying Skills

Query: 4_top_paying_skills.sql

Identifies which skills command the highest average salaries.

SELECT skills, ROUND(AVG(salary_year_avg)) AS avg_salary
FROM job_postings_fact
INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON skills_job_dim.job_id = job_postings_fact.job_id
INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_dim.skill_id = skills_job_dim.skill_id 
WHERE job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' 
  AND salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL 
  AND job_location = 'Anywhere'
GROUP BY skills
ORDER BY avg_salary DESC
LIMIT 25;

Salary Insights:

• Highest: PySpark ($208,172)
• Top Tier: Bitbucket ($189,155), Couchbase & Watson ($160,515)
• Median: $141,907 (relatively symmetrical distribution)
• Bottom: MicroStrategy ($121,619), GCP ($122,500), PostgreSQL ($123,879)

Finding: Specialized big data and ML tools command significant salary premiums over standard tools.

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5. Optimal Skills (High Demand + High Salary)

Query: 5_optimal_skills.sql

Strategic analysis combining demand and salary to identify the most valuable skills.

WITH skills_demand AS (
    SELECT skills_dim.skill_id, skills_dim.skills, 
           COUNT(job_postings_fact.job_id) AS demand_number
    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_location = 'Anywhere'
    GROUP BY skills_dim.skill_id
),
average_salary AS (
    SELECT skills_dim.skill_id, ROUND(AVG(salary_year_avg)) AS avg_salary
    FROM job_postings_fact
    INNER JOIN skills_job_dim ON skills_job_dim.job_id = job_postings_fact.job_id
    INNER JOIN skills_dim ON skills_dim.skill_id = skills_job_dim.skill_id 
    WHERE job_title_short = 'Data Analyst' 
      AND salary_year_avg IS NOT NULL 
      AND job_location = 'Anywhere'
    GROUP BY skills_dim.skill_id
)
SELECT skills_demand.skills, demand_number, avg_salary
FROM skills_demand
INNER JOIN average_salary ON skills_demand.skill_id = average_salary.skill_id
ORDER BY demand_number DESC, avg_salary DESC
LIMIT 25;

Strategic Career Roadmap:

Skill	Demand	Avg Salary	Value Proposition
SQL	398	$97,237	Maximum job access (foundation)
Tableau	230	$99,288	Leading visualization tool
Python/R	High	~$100K+	Optimal versatility balance
Snowflake	Medium	$112,948	Cloud specialization premium
Azure	Medium	$111,225	Cloud platform expertise
AWS	Medium	$108,317	Cloud infrastructure skills

Career Strategy:

1. Master SQL first → Maximum employability
2. Add Python/R → Analytical versatility
3. Learn Tableau → Visualization capability
4. Specialize in cloud platforms → Salary optimization

Technical Stack

SQL Techniques:

• Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
• Multiple JOINs (LEFT, INNER)
• Aggregate functions (COUNT, AVG, ROUND)
• GROUP BY with multiple conditions
• Subqueries and window functions

Database Schema:

• job_postings_fact - Job details and salaries
• company_dim - Company information
• skills_job_dim - Job-skill relationships
• skills_dim - Skill definitions

Key Takeaways

1. SQL is non-negotiable - Foundation with highest demand (7,291 postings)
2. Python bridges gaps - Essential for advanced analytics and automation
3. Visualization matters - Tableau/Power BI significantly boost employability
4. Cloud is the future - Snowflake, Azure, AWS command $108K-$113K premiums
5. Balance is optimal - Combine high-demand foundations with specialized, high-paying expertise

License

MIT License

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Author: Techflow-lab
Focus: Data-driven career intelligence for data analysts