💡 Why it matters: Companies keep launching apps, tools and new ways of working. Business analysts work out what is really needed so teams do not waste time and money building the wrong thing.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs for management analysts are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦2M – ₦5M
- Mid-career
- ₦6M – ₦14M
- Senior
- ₦14M – ₦32M
≈ ₦500k – ₦1.2M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Management analysts. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Job Bank occupation: Information Technology (IT) Business Analyst. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Talk to users and bosses about what they need
- Map how work currently flows
- Turn needs into clear written requirements
- Check numbers to find problems and chances
- Test that the finished solution works
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Analysis
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Curiosity
- Writing
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Business analysis bootcamp and a junior analyst role
- IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) certification after a few years of experience
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Business analyst apprenticeships (Level 4 and degree level)
- Start in a support or operations role, then move across
🇺🇸 United States
- Internships and entry roles as a junior analyst
- Move across from customer support or operations
🇨🇦 Canada
- Co-op programs with paid work terms
- Junior analyst roles, or move across from support or operations
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Do well in Maths, English and Economics
- 2Study business, IT or economics
- 3Learn tools like Excel, SQL and process mapping
- 4Join a team as a junior analyst
- 5Move into senior analyst, product or consulting roles
⏰ A day in the life
You sit with the customer support team to see why customers keep complaining. Then you draw a simple diagram of the problem, write up what the app needs to change and review it with the developers.