Introduction

This project takes a deep dive into the data job market, with a focus on Data Analyst roles. Uncover the 💰 highest-paying positions, 🔥 most sought-after skills, and discover where demand meets salary in this booming industry.

🔍 Check out the SQL queries used to analyze the trends: project_sql folder

Background

This project was created to help navigate the data analyst job market more effectively, with a focus on identifying top-paying roles and in-demand skills. By streamlining the search for optimal job opportunities, it offers valuable insights to others seeking to excel in the field.

The data used in this analysis comes from SQL Course and includes key information such as job titles, salaries, locations, and critical skills.

The deliverables for this project were:

1. Identify the top paying data analyst jobs.
2. Identify the skills are required for these top-paying jobs?
3. Pinpoint skills are most in demand for data analysts?
4. Analyze skills are associated with higher salaries?
5. Identify the most optimal skills to learn?

Tools Used

For my deep dive into the data analyst job market, I harnessed the power of several key tools:

• SQL: The backbone of my analysis, allowing me to query the database and unearth critical insights.
• PostgreSQL: The database management system, ideal for handling the job posting data.
• Visual Studio Code: My go-to for database management and executing SQL queries.
• Git & GitHub: Essential for version control and sharing my SQL scripts and analysis, ensuring collaboration and project tracking.

Analysis

Each query for this project aimed at investigating specific aspects of the data analyst job market. Here’s how I approached each question:

1. Top Paying Data Analyst Jobs

To identify the highest-paying roles, I filtered data analyst positions by average yearly salary and location, focusing on remote jobs. This query highlights the high paying opportunities 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:

• Wide Salary Range: Top 10 paying data analyst roles span from $184,000 to $650,000, indicating significant salary potential in the field.
• Diverse Employers: Companies like SmartAsset, Meta, and AT&T are among those offering high salaries, showing a broad interest across different industries.
• Job Title Variety: There's a high diversity in job titles, from Data Analyst to Director of Analytics, reflecting varied roles and specializations within data analytics.

2. Skills for Top Paying Jobs

To understand what skills are required for the top-paying jobs, I joined the job postings with the skills data, providing insights into what employers value for high-compensation roles.

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;

Here's the breakdown of the most demanded skills for the top 10 highest paying data analyst jobs in 2023:

• SQL is leading with a bold count of 8.
• 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; ChatGPT generated this graph from my SQL query results

3. In-Demand Skills for Data Analysts

This query helped identify the skills most frequently requested in job postings, directing focus to areas with high demand.

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 2023

• SQL and Excel remain fundamental, emphasizing the need for strong foundational skills in data processing and spreadsheet manipulation.
• Programming and Visualization Tools like Python, Tableau, and Power BI are essential, pointing towards the increasing importance of technical skills in data storytelling and decision support.

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

4. Skills Based on Salary

Exploring the average salaries associated with different skills revealed which skills are the highest paying.

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;

Here's a breakdown of the results for 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

5. Most Optimal Skills to Learn

Combining insights from demand and salary data, this query aimed to pinpoint skills that are both in high demand and have high salaries, offering a strategic focus for skill development.

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

Here's a breakdown of the most optimal skills for Data Analysts in 2023:

• 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.

What I learned

Throughout this journey, I’ve elevated my SQL skills with powerful techniques:

🧩 Advanced Query Crafting: Mastered complex SQL queries, seamlessly merging tables and using WITH clauses for expert-level temp table creation.
📊 Data Aggregation Mastery: Leveraged GROUP BY and aggregate functions like COUNT() and AVG() to summarize data with precision.
💡 Analytical Expertise: Transformed real-world problems into actionable insights by crafting SQL queries that deliver meaningful results.

Conclusion

Key Insights from the Analysis:

1. Top-Paying Data Analyst Jobs: The highest-paying roles for data analysts, especially in remote work environments, offer a broad salary range, with top earners making up to $650,000.

2. Skills for High-Paying Jobs: Advanced SQL proficiency is a common requirement for the highest-paying jobs, highlighting SQL as a crucial skill for securing a top salary.

3. Most In-Demand Skills: SQL stands out as the most sought-after skill in the data analyst job market, making it essential for job seekers aiming to remain competitive.

4. Skills Linked to Higher Salaries: Niche skills, such as SVN and Solidity, are associated with the highest average salaries, underscoring the value of specialized expertise.

5. Optimal Skills for Maximizing Market Value: SQL not only leads in demand but also offers strong earning potential, making it one of the most valuable skills for data analysts looking to maximize their career opportunities.