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AI, data & analytics

Build and question the systems everyone else will use.

Data and AI roles are the fastest-growing jobs in the world’s largest employer survey. The work is shifting from writing every line yourself to designing, testing and checking AI-assisted systems, so strong foundations in statistics and programming matter more, not less.

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What the evidence says

The numbers behind this career

No. 1
Big data specialists are the fastest-growing role worldwide to 2030, with AI and machine learning specialists third.
World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025, Jan 2025
34.6%
Projected growth for US data scientists, 2025–35, against about 3% for all jobs.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35, Aug 2026
~20%
Fall in employment of software developers aged 22–25 since 2024: entry-level coding alone is no longer enough.
Stanford HAI, AI Index 2026, Apr 2026

You and AI

What AI takes on, and what stays yours

AI creates demand for these skills: the more AI there is, the more of these people the world needs.

AI increasingly handles

  • Routine reporting, data cleaning and boilerplate code
  • First drafts of analysis and dashboards
  • Searching documentation and debugging simple errors

Stays human, and grows in value

  • Framing the right question for the business
  • Judging whether a model is fair, safe and correct
  • Explaining results to people who make decisions

The career ladder

From your first course to a senior role

Typical steps. Titles vary by country and employer, and some roles need a local licence or registration.

  1. 1StudyComputer science, data science, AI, business analytics
  2. 2First roleData analyst, junior data engineer, BI analyst
  3. 33–5 yearsData scientist, machine learning engineer, analytics lead
  4. 4SeniorHead of data, AI product lead, principal engineer

Skills to build

StatisticsPython and SQLMachine learning basicsData ethicsCommunicating results

Where it’s in demand

  • Data Scientist is on Australia’s Core Skills Occupation List. Source
  • Canada renewed its STEM category for Express Entry in 2026. Source

Lists change often and are not a promise of a visa. How to use them →

Read next

Guides for this career

7 min readThe skills AI can't replace — and how to build them while you study

Employers say the fastest-growing skills are a mix of technical and human. Here's the list, why it matters, and practical ways to build each one during your degree abroad.

Read the article →9 min readWhat should you study in the age of AI?

AI will change almost every job, but not in the same way. Here is what the evidence says about which subjects grow with AI, which stay human, and which are changing fastest.

Read the article →

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