How Big Data Creates New Job Opportunities: Skill Profiles of Emerging Professional Roles

Big data jobs will increase in importance over the next years. However, at the international level, the labor market for these professionals is characterized by a critical skill shortage. What are the big data specialist profiles that are most sought in the market? What are their main differences in terms of tasks and skill requirements? This chapter provides a snapshot of the most in-demand big data jobs, contributing to clarify their boundaries. It also delves into the main characteristics of the specific professional profiles that have received increasing attention in recent years, namely data scientists and data/business analysts. The review of the contributions provided by experts and scholars operating in the data science and analytics domain clarifies the main differences between these roles on the technical side. However, despite the increasing importance of soft skills, the behavioral competency profile of big data jobs is still ill defined.