Statistician

Kaitatau

This job is sometimes referred to by alternative titles

Statisticians collect, analyse, interpret, then present numerical information to assist in decision-making.

Pay

Median pay for statisticians is

$71K per year

Source: Statistics New Zealand, ‘Census of Population and Dwellings’, 2014.

Job opportunities

Chances of getting a job as a statistician are average – while opportunities are limited for new graduates, demand is good for experienced statisticians.

Length of training

3 years of training usually required

About the job

Pay

According to 2013 Census figures, the median pay for statisticians is $71,000 a year.

Source: Statistics New Zealand, ‘Census of Population and Dwellings’, 2014.

MoreBusiness.com website - use this calculator to convert pay and salary information

(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the figures and diagrams in our job information)

What you will do

Statisticians may do some or all of the following:

design methods of collecting data such as surveys, experiments and questionnaires
use statistical techniques and models to forecast results, trends and needs
identify data trends, and the differences and relationships between different sets of data
use computers to make graphs, tables and charts of data
check data is accurate
write reports and present findings to clients
provide data to help policy-makers.

Skills and knowledge

Statisticians need to have knowledge of:

statistics
relevant software
different research methods, including which methods to use for particular types of statistical data
designing surveys and analysing and interpreting information from surveys.

Working conditions

Statisticians:

usually work regular business hours, though they may work longer hours to meet project deadlines
usually work in offices
may sometimes be required to do fieldwork, travel to clients' workplaces, or travel around New Zealand or overseas to attend conferences.

What's the job really like?

Katarina Domijan - Statistician

Katarina Domijan has found her niche working as a statistician at an agricultural research organisation.

"I help the research scientists understand the data they have collected. My work is quite diverse because I work with people from a variety of science backgrounds who are working on an assortment of problems, and draw on a range of statistical methods.

Meeting regularly to discuss scientific projects

She says that when you’re working with scientists you need to know enough about their field of expertise to understand what they need from their data. “Often, scientists want to discuss their statistical needs in detail so I meet regularly with them to demonstrate how the project is progressing."

Statistics can take you many places

Katarina has always liked statistics and enjoys working out patterns and interpreting results in different ways. She also likes the broad scope of statistics. “Statistics cut across the social, physical and life sciences as well as industry, which can make the work really interesting and challenging, and give you a lot of employment options.”

Katarina is also kept busy teaching in-house courses on statistics, refereeing scientific papers or keeping up with the latest statistical thinking and wants to do a PhD overseas, "I'll do my PhD and then see where that leads me."

What's hot

Assisting people working on a wide range of projects.
The range of employment opportunities in statistics.

What's not

Having to know about science, or another subject area, alongside statistics.
Providing very detailed statistical information for some projects.

How to enter the job

Entry requirements

To become a statistician you need a Bachelor's degree as a minimum qualification, usually with some statistics papers.

The most preferred subjects are:

statistics
mathematical sciences
economics/econometrics
business and management.

However, some employers may prefer you to have a postgraduate degree.

Secondary education

A tertiary entrance qualification with good grades in maths with calculus and maths with statistics is usually required.

Personal requirements

Statisticians need to be:

logical and methodical
accurate, with an eye for detail
client-focused
skilled at writing, and communicating with clients
motivated and able to work to deadlines
good at planning and organising
good at decision-making and problem-solving.

You need to have a willingness to learn. Then if you have the basics, you can pick up things and learn on the job.

Sarah Kirkham - Research Analyst

Useful experience

Useful experience includes:

any work using maths and statistics
work with market research companies
work with surveys, polls and data analysis.

Find out more about training

Check out related courses

Job opportunities

What are the chances of getting a job?

Few entry-level jobs

Chances of getting an entry-level statistician job are low because few new vacancies come up, mainly due to few new positions being created and people tending to stay in the job for a long time.

Good opportunities for experienced statisticians

Demand is good for statisticians with considerable experience, as there are not enough people with that level of skills to fulfil demand.

Statistics graduates with double majors have better job opportunities

People who combine statistics with study in another field - such as biology, agriculture or environmental studies - may have better chances of getting a job. This is because many jobs demand additional skills/knowledge in a specific areas of statistical analysis.

A Master's degree in the relevant subjects could also improve your chances.