💡 Why it matters: Governments, banks and companies all need people who can turn numbers into clear advice about money and choices. The skill is useful almost everywhere.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.5M – ₦4M
- Mid-career
- ₦5M – ₦14M
- Senior
- ₦14M – ₦40M
≈ ₦417k – ₦1.2M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
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
- Collect and study data on jobs, prices and spending
- Build models that predict what might happen next
- Write reports and briefings for decision makers
- Test whether a policy or business idea is likely to work
- Explain findings to people who are not experts
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Maths and statistics
- Analytical thinking
- Writing clearly
- Spreadsheets and data tools
- Curiosity
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Start as an analyst in a bank, research firm or government agency, then add a postgraduate degree
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Graduate schemes such as the Government Economic Service
- Level 7 Economist degree apprenticeship (offered by some employers)
🇺🇸 United States
- Start as a research assistant or junior analyst
- Government jobs often recruit economics graduates
🇨🇦 Canada
- Start as a junior analyst or research assistant
- Government departments and central banks recruit economics graduates
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Economics and Mathematics at school
- 2Take an economics degree
- 3Get a first job as a junior analyst or research assistant
- 4Add a master's degree or specialist training in your area
- 5Move into senior research, advisory or policy work
⏰ A day in the life
You start the morning checking the latest inflation figures and updating a chart. After a team meeting you test how a change in fuel prices might affect families, then write a short, clear summary for your manager.