ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode of The Data Nerd Podcast, host Nisar Ahmed welcomes back analytics leader and data community builder Dustin Schimek for a timely conversation on the real data analytics skills employers want in 2026 — and what they pay for them.
Today's guest is Dustin Schimek, creator of the Data Jobs Report and the weekly Data Jobs Rundown, where he analyzes real job postings year over year to uncover hiring trends across data and analytics roles. With experience leading analytics teams and enabling data practitioners, Dustin brings a data-driven lens to understanding how analytics careers are evolving and what professionals should be paying attention to next.
At its core, this episode is about cutting through the noise. Rather than relying on opinions or hype, the conversation is grounded in actual hiring data and long-term trends. Together, Nisar and Dustin explore how expectations for data analysts are changing, how skills and experience shape career growth, and why compensation looks the way it does across different stages of an analytics career.
🎧 Tune in to learn:
- The top data analytics skills employers are hiring for
- How Tableau and Power BI stack up in today's market
- The growing importance of cloud skills in analytics roles
- Why data storytelling continues to rise in demand
- Analyst vs senior analyst salary ranges and what drives pay growth
- How experience and industry knowledge impact hiring decisions
If you're a data analyst, aspiring analyst, or analytics leader looking for a realistic, data-backed perspective on the analytics job market, this episode will help you better understand where the field is headed — and how to position yourself for what's next.
Dustin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinschimek/
🌐 Full episodes of The Data Nerd Podcast and exclusive merch (including the official Data Nerd hat) — visit: www.thedatanerdpodcast.com
