Looking ahead, Big Data skills are expected to be in big demand – but hard for employers to find the people who have them. A CompTIA study released this week finds 43 percent of employers plan to hire people who already possess big data skills, while roughly two-thirds plan to invest in training for current employees. The survey queried 500 IT customers and 500 vendor representatives. "As executives across the organization drive data initiatives, new roles may emerge that incorporate elements of IT, business analyst, researcher and behavioral economist," Tim Herbert, Vice President of CompTIA Research and Market Intelligence, said in a statement.
The report found that Big Data requires cross-functional skills, ranging from mostly IT, such as data infrastructure, to mostly business, such as interpretation and visualization of IT skills. As companies enter the world of Big Data, many recognize a need for new skill sets, requiring investments in training and development to avoid worker shortages. This report, however, does not answer a key question for workers and employers: “Does it make more sense to cross train IT-centric staff on the business intelligence/analytics/interpretation side of Big Data, or cross-train business centric staff on the technical side of data management and utilization?”
