ECONOMISTS, TELLING THE WORLD’S DECISION MAKERS WHAT TO DO

Economists provide analyses and forecasts, helping business and political leaders make the right strategic decisions. They may work for big industrial groups (e.g. economist jobs at Total), banks (e.g. international economist roles at Banque de France), business institutes, public bodies, consultancy firms, as well as insurance companies. The scope of their work can be enormous, covering everything from micro-economics (looking at individual economic behaviour) to macro-economics (exploring global economic trends). 

Sectors: auditing, consultancy, legal

Monthly gross salary of a junior economist: €2,900

Synonyms: corporate economist, strategist, macro-economist, economic researcher

The life of an economist... 

Collecting information

Economists gather vast amounts of information from various sources, including newspaper articles, professional publications, reports, research journals, surveys and so on. Sometimes, they’re required to travel to conduct their own research.

Interpreting data 

Having compiled the relevant qualitative and quantitative data, they begin interpreting and analysing the raw data in front of them. They structure their results as clearly as possible (with the help of models, drawings and tables) then put them into reports and summary notes. They may also work on funding and marketing studies, so called financial risk forecasts, as well as pricing analyses. 

Sharing results

Unlike researchers, economists have to take their findings and turn them into exact and precise reports so they can be useful to companies. They need to be able to summarise and restate their research and conclusions in order to convince managers of their findings. 

Required skills

• Ability to research, analyse and summarise 

• Must be an expert in statistics, mathematics and IT

• Must have a curious and intuitive nature 

• Excellent written and verbal skills

Typical educational background

• Economics graduates 

• Business, applied mathematics and IT studies

• Masters in economic sciences, law, management, economic modelling, economic engineering, economic intelligence