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Data Science till recently was the most lucrative sector for job seekers, and probably will be for the next few decades. But the irony of the situation is, that there are not enough talented data scientists who can fill the roles. Of late there has been exponential growth in data scientists outgrowing the market demand. Coursera, the US-based online course provider, published its Global Skills Report (GSR) 2022, which states Data Scientists from India lag in gaining the relevant data science skills. India has dropped 12 places in the data science category dropping its proficiency levels from 38% to 46%. However, in the technology category, India scaled up its position with proficiency levels increasing to 46% from 38%.
The report delving deep into the data science domain, states that India's scores in both fundamental and specialized data science skills do not paint a rosy picture. According to the report, data visualization scores only 10%, statistical programming 14%, data management 22%, with machine learning leading with 41% of skill proficiency.
Coursera culled data from 100 million students from more than 100 countries, who registered with the tech platform last year. This report is benchmarked on three parameters – business, technology, and data science – which are considered to be the most in-demand-skill areas driving the job market. And also, this year's report brings forward state-specific numbers. While West Bengal is ranked the #1 state across all the three domains, showing 100% proficiency in more than 10 skills, across the three domains, students from Andhra Pradesh had 100% proficiency in security engineering, operating systems, and computer networking.
Coursera CEO, Jeff Maggioncalda is highly concerned about the way in-demand skills are being neglected by the institutions. He stated, "Our data shows these skills are not equally distributed, and students and low-wage workers need access to flexible, affordable, and fast-tracked pathways to entry-level digital jobs that offer a foundation for a stronger and more inclusive economy."
The strong correlation between skills, proficiency, GDP, and broadband access: Wealthier countries with broader internet access scored higher in skills and proficiency
Adaptation to change is more prevalent in developed countries: Students from developed countries are more focused on acquiring new digital skills
Globally, skills such as leadership and management, probability and statistics, and theoretical computer science were the most popular business and technology skills: For the second time in a row, Switzerland stood first for these skills followed by Denmark, Indonesia, and Belgium
The report holds many pointers toward the association between skill development and the country's economic growth. Developed countries' performance in terms of skill development and change management is evident in the report's observations. In the case of developing countries like India, whose governments struggle to chart out optimum policies to ensure economic equality, and not lose out on the global technological front, data science can easily assist them in taking a balanced approach successfully. When trillion-dollar, technologically dominant companies are heavily depending on data to upscale their businesses, there is no point, a country like India should ignore the potential of data science as an economic accelerator.
"Industry reports estimate that 28 million new technology jobs will be created in India by 2025. This year's GSR signals a significant need for Indian learners to bridge the critical skills gap, especially in data science, to ensure this digital potential does not turn into a lost opportunity," said Raghav Gupta, managing director, India and APAC, Coursera. He also says, "Strong industry-academia-government collaboration that focuses on the rapid deployment of high-quality digital and human skills training would be key to ensuring that the Indian workforce remains resilient and competitive amid the rapid technological transformation."
