Skills employers ask for in research jobs
In 2,382 research jobs in the SkillDrift job index, the most requested skill is Data analysis, named in 20.7% of postings. Python follows at 17.8%, then Machine learning at 11.2%.
Based on 2,382 job postings in the SkillDrift job index, read on 1 October 2026.
The 8 skills named most often
Each share is the part of all research jobs that name the skill. One posting usually names several skills, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
- 1Data analysis20.7%493 of 2,382 postings
- 2Python17.8%424 of 2,382 postings
- 3Machine learning11.2%267 of 2,382 postings
- 4Deep learning9%214 of 2,382 postings
- 5Market research8.9%212 of 2,382 postings
- 6PyTorch8.3%198 of 2,382 postings
- 7Excel8%190 of 2,382 postings
- 8TensorFlow5.3%126 of 2,382 postings
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The SkillDrift job index collects live job postings and reads the skills each one asks for. This page counts the postings in the research role group, across all industries, and shows the share that name each skill. Skills appear as employers write them, so close variants such as Excel and MS Excel can both appear, because a posting may use either. The page is refreshed from the index, and the date above shows the last read.
Questions people ask
What is the most requested skill in research jobs?
Data analysis. It is named in 20.7% of the 2,382 research jobs in the SkillDrift job index on 1 October 2026.
How many job postings is this based on?
2,382 postings, read from the SkillDrift job index on 1 October 2026. Each share is the number of postings that name the skill, divided by all postings in this group.