Economist

Typical tasks

• Research financial, labour, and trade markets
• Make predictions about money, politics and society trends
• Share information
• Advise people and businesses about policies and operations
• Explain rules and regulations
• Prepare scientific and technical reports and presentations
• Supervise trainees
• Teach social sciences students
• Research social issues

Outlook

Economists will continue to help organisations understand issues such as inflation, housing, productivity, trade, public spending and climate change. Demand is influenced by economic conditions and government or business priorities, rather than growing evenly every year. Increasing access to large datasets, forecasting tools and artificial intelligence is changing analysis. Globally, employers are also focusing more on climate risks, supply chains, inequality and long-term economic resilience.

What employers and industry want in graduates

• Strong numerical, analytical and problem-solving ability
• Curiosity about how businesses, governments and communities make choices
• Ability to interpret data and explain what it means
• Clear writing and communication for non-specialist audiences
• Confidence using spreadsheets, statistics or data-analysis tools
• Sound judgement, accuracy and awareness of real-world impacts