India's Data Scientists are optimistic about the availability of jobs despite the COVID19 crisis, says a report

• According to a survey by Analytics India Magazine on Data Science recruitment from job seekers perspective, more than a third (37%) of the respondents believe that Data Science jobs are available, despite the current crisis.
• Whereas 16% believe that jobs might not emerge for one year.
• Lack of regular communication from recruiters is listed as the second most challenging task.
• In terms of formal programming experience, 40% of the respondents feel that on the job learning balances formal programming experience, whereas 29% of the respondents feel that formal programming is very significant and on-the-job learning on its own is insufficient.

According to a survey by Analytics India Magazine on Data Science recruitment from job seekers perspective, 37% of the respondents believe that Data Science jobs are available, despite the current crisis.

This is the highest and most optimistic response for all those surveyed. Whereas 16% believe that jobs might not emerge for one year, which is the most pessimistic of views of those surveyed.

The survey, which was conducted in association with AnalytixLabs, determines the challenges that applicants face during the Data Science and Analytics hiring process. It covers various aspects from job seekers perspectives such as availability of jobs in the current crisis, challenges faced during data science recruitment process, the necessity of degree or formal education for a data science job, the significance of programming experience, the significance of prior work experience, and more. In terms of challenges encountered during data science recruitment, 39% of respondents believe that it is a lengthy hiring process.

Lack of regular communication from recruiters is listed as the second most challenging as about 28% of the respondents face this challenge. 35% of respondents believe that for Analytics and Data Science hiring, it is required to have a degree or formal education. Whereas 17% of the respondents believe that on-the-job learning with no formal learning is sufficient for a career in Data Science.

In terms of formal programming experience, 40% of the respondents feel that on the job learning balances formal programming experience, whereas 29% of the respondents feel that formal programming is very significant and on-the-job learning on its own is insufficient.

According to the report, 35% of the respondents believe that prior experience of 5+ years is very significant for Analytics and Data Science hiring or jobs. 33% of the applicants feel that prior experience is significant but not crucial as similar experience in IT or Statistics is sufficient for a job or career in data science. In terms of transitioning to Data Science from a non-science background, 48% of the job seekers feel that it is difficult to make a transition, whereas 13% of the respondents believe that the transition is easy with online training and free learning supporting the transition. However, 11% of the respondents feel that it is not possible for Non-science professionals to transition to a career in Data Science.

The report also suggests that the job seekers identify internship as the best approach to get on-board with organisations, with 69% of respondents believing that. According to the report, of all the resources and tools for up-skilling and preparing for recruitment, online self-paced learning has emerged as the most preferred method as 66% of the respondents have favoured this method for preparation and building capabilities.

On the other hand, in terms of sectors covered, the IT sector has emerged as the one providing the most opportunities. 41% of Data Science job seekers have identified this sector with the most opportunities. For specific sites or resources utilized to find a job in analytics or data science, LinkedIn has once again emerged at the top of the bracket across the Data Science job-seeking community. This year, 82% of the respondents have mentioned that they utilize the professional networking site to find a job.

The leading job site Naukri.com is preferred by 21% of the job-seeking community. In terms of cities, Bengaluru has once again emerged as the leading city among job seekers, with 87% of the job-seeking audience voting Bengaluru as the destination for most opportunities. This is followed by Mumbai and Delhi. The demographics of the survey included fresh graduates seeking opportunities and also personnel seeking new ventures across the analytics space. Moreover, the respondents covered personnel largely from the tech hub of Bengaluru, followed by the Finance hub of Mumbai.

Bhasker Gupta, Founder & CEO, Analytics India Magazine said, "With the global pandemic, the Data Science market is evolving to adapt to the changes it is brought along. While the scenario has been in control compared to other segments, it is important that both Analytics job seekers and the community understands the hiring trends and get a pulse of the job market. This survey report aims to cover the experiences of Data Science and Analytics job seekers, to help them see the overall scenario of Analytics recruitment, especially during the current downturn."

Sumeet Bansal, CEO & Co-founders, AnalytixLabs said, "The economic impact of the current global pandemic is wide and deep, which is unlikely to go away in a jiffy. Though Data Science domain is well poised to gain in this new normal of a more digitized world. This report will help all Data Science professionals and aspirants, to get the beat of the job market and plan their next career move. It provides useful insights into the challenges faced by job seekers and opportunities that lie ahead!"