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Business analyst

Business analysts investigate situations and problems to find improvements for businesses.

Annual Salary

£22,000 to £55,000

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: evenings; occasionally

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Business analyst jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

You could:

  • speak to managers to learn what their business needs are
  • write down what the business does and how
  • analyse your findings to suggest changes and improvements
  • explain the possible effects of changes, such as the costs, benefits and risks
  • agree the best way to make changes
  • organise testing and quality checks
  • support staff making changes

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a client's business.

Entry requirements

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
University

Any degree that teaches analytical skills can be useful for this role.

Some employers may prefer you to have a degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject, such as:

  • business information systems
  • business management
  • computing and systems development
  • computer science

Experience during your degree

You may have an advantage if your degree course lets you get some business experience. This could be through:internships; work placements; a year in industry

It may also be useful to get experience of managing projects and analysing data.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could gain some of the skills and knowledge needed for this role through an apprenticeship like a:

  • business analyst higher apprenticeship
  • project management higher or degree apprenticeship

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got several years' experience in project management, consulting or IT.

More information

Career tips

To get into this career, it may be useful to know about agile project management or other similar methods.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a business analyst from:International Institute of Business Analysis UK; The Chartered Institute for IT; Institute of Consulting

You can find out more about government business analysts in the Civil Service on GOV.UK.

Employment by region

Career path and progression

With experience, you could:become a project manager; work as a consultant; work in different industries; set up your own company; work freelance

Other useful information

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • business management skills
  • analytical thinking skills
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • persistence and determination
  • to have a thorough understanding of computer systems and applications
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