Statistician

Alternative job titles for this role

• Actuary
• Research statistician
• Biostatistician
• Clinical statistician
• Econometrician
• Data analyst

Introduction

Statisticians use statistical methods to collect and analyse data and help solve real-world problems in government, business, engineering, the sciences, medicine and a whole range of other fields. Using statistical techniques, they make forecasts on population growth, economic conditions, or the outcome of elections. Statisticians often work in teams at various stages throughout the process, from collecting the data to analysis, identifying patterns and preparing strategies.

What the job involves

• Plan ways to collect the information needed using sampling and probability knowledge
• Adapt statistical methods to solve specific problems in many fields, such as economics, biology and engineering
• Analyse and interpret statistical data to identify significant differences in relationships among sources of information
• Identify trends in data, as well as any factors that could affect the results of research
• Plan data collection methods for specific projects, and determine the types and sizes of sample groups to be used
• Process large amounts of data for statistical modelling and graphic analysis, using computers
• Report results of statistical analyses, including information in the form of graphs, charts, and tables
• Supervise and provide guidance for workers collecting and tabulating data

How your career can develop

Wide scope to specialise in a variety of fields such as bio-statistics, agricultural statistics, business statistics, economic statistics, or other fields.

Skills

• Excellent mathematical and numerical skills.
• Logical and methodical approach to work.
• Excellent problem solving skills.
• Excellent IT and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate results clearly, both verbally and in writing

Typical employers

• Government and government departments
• Economic think tanks
• Large businesses
• Hospitals and health agencies
• Scientific and research facilities

Typical Salary

Graduate/Starting                   €35,000

Senior/Potential                      €80,000

Typical qualifications

Open to graduates with sound grounding in maths or statistics. Other gateway degree subjects include:

• Business
• Economics
• Geography
• Mathematical studies
• Mathematics
• Operational research
• Political science
• Psychology
• Social science