Big Data to Create 1.9M IT Jobs in U.S. by 2015, Says Gartner

Thibodeau, Patrick. "Big Data to Create 1.9M IT Jobs in U.S. by 2015, Says Gartner." Computerworld, October 22, 2012. 

From the article: "Big data, which refers to data collected and analyzed from every imaginable source, is becoming an engine of job creation as businesses discover ways to turn data into revenue, says Gartner. By 2015, it is expected to create 4.4 million IT jobs globally, of which 1.9 million will be in the U.S.

Applying an economic multiplier to those jobs, Gartner expects that each big data IT job added to the economy will create employment for three more people outside the tech industry in the U.S., adding six million jobs to the economy. That's the kind of estimate that presidential candidates, if they focused on IT's impact on the economy instead of fossil fuel fracking and pipelines, might jump on.

But Sondergaard's estimate included a caveat -- namely, that there's a shortage of skilled workers. Only a third of the big data jobs will be filled." Read more

See also

"Gartner Says Big Data Creates Big Jobs: 4.4 Millions IT Jobs Globally to Support Big Data by 2012." Daily Finance, October 22, 2012. 

Should High Schools Teach Big Data?

Booker, Ellis. "Should High Schools Teach Big Data?" Information Week, October 16, 2012. 

From the article: "Given the anticipated shortage of data scientists, should students start learning the precepts of big data in high school?

Changing when advanced database technology is taught has real-world implications, given the realities of today's job market. Both data analytics and big data skills are in high demand in private industry and government.

But there is a looming shortage of workers with these abilities. McKinsey & Co. sounded this alarm back in 2011 with its seminal report that predicted the U.S. would face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 workers with the skills to manage and analyze big data." Read more