Who is hiring Data Scientists in Kenya?
Big Data (and recently, Small Data) are at the top of global trends in business. Data Scientists want to predict everything from loan repayment to heart attacks. And like everywhere else, Kenya’s Data Science community is growing rapidly. So who’s hiring them? We analysed one month’s of public job postings to find out.
Three general job segments emerged:
- Data Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Data Visualiser
A quick analysis of the job segments showed a leading demand for Data Scientists, closely followed by Data Analysts. Five years ago Data Science was essentially unknown. Today, it’s in demand by almost every industry.
Our analysis reveals that the health and ed-tech sectors have the highest demand for Data Scientists. These are closely followed by economics and agricultural companies.
While the dominant narrative for Data Science in Kenya has been FinTech, it’s clear from recent job postings that other sectors are just as serious about getting on this bandwagon.
We also sought to establish who, between startups and established companies, lead in employing Data Scientists.
It turns out that established companies engage more data scientists than startups do. Data Science is no longer just the purview of young, innovators. Large companies who have been sitting on data for years are starting to explore what they can do with that data and hence are taking Data Science seriously.
What Combination of Skills do Companies Seek?
While many people assume that Data Analysts and Data Scientists sit on a continuum of expertise, we found that they are two distinct, equally important roles. Analysts, as defined by hiring companies, tend to be more focused on processing data and developing tools for routine analysis and reporting. Scientists appear to be managing much larger data sets and conducting highly exploratory analysis.
The average experience required for an entry level Data Science role is over three years. Given the challenge of their assignments and combination of tools required for an effective fit, it’s evident why fresh undergraduates would struggle to excel.
Are you interested in starting a Data Science career?
Chris Orwa is the former Head of Data Science for Brave Venture Labs. His exploration of the world through data can be found at BlackOrwa and on his Medium blog.
Ibanga Umanah is a Cofounder and the Head of Strategy for Brave Venture Labs. Brave is a people science company uncovering the drivers of performance for better recruiting and talent management.
Get in touch to hire, get hired, or join our team: brave.careers
