Statistician

Statisticians collect, analyse and interpret numerical data for government, business, health care and scientific use. They give advice based on their results and analyses. Statisticians need to be able to explain their methods and results clearly, both verbally and in writing.

Work activities

Statisticians collect, analyse and interpret numerical data. Their results help others to make informed decisions, create policies and comment on aspects of modern life. Many statisticians work in central or local government departments, using statistical information to help make policies and provide advice to the public. The Civil Service, through the Government Statistical Service, employs over 1,000 statisticians. They work across 30 Civil Service departments and agencies. They provide an information and advisory service to the government and parliament. This helps ministers to develop and put into practice policies, for example, on the economy, health and crime, and to evaluate their impact on the public. For example, government statisticians examine the performance of the NHS in terms of hospital waiting lists, staffing levels and ambulance response times.

Apart from the Civil Service, the other largest employer is the pharmaceutical industry. Here, statisticians design and analyse experiments to assess the effects of drugs and to test their safety. They can be involved in all the stages of drug development, from experiments to find useful biological compounds through to clinical trials before and after the drug becomes available to the public. Statisticians also play a central role in wider medical research, for example:

Monitoring heart disease.
Establishing causes of disease or the factors associated with disease.
Preventing death or disease.
Evaluating treatments.

There can be a lot of variation in the factors that cause disease, and people’s responses to treatment, so statisticians need to develop methods to take account of this, picking up on and explaining any patterns that emerge. They also design, put into practice and evaluate clinical studies. Some studies may take only a few months to complete; with others, it can be years before results can be seen. They then have to write reports and articles for publication. They might present the results at conferences in the UK and internationally. Statisticians work increasingly in biometry, for example, investigating the chances of inheriting a certain disease, or testing the performance of new crop varieties. In business and industry, they work in market research. They predict demand and help to target products at a particular market. They also play a vital role in quality management and production. Their information can help to make processes more efficient and minimise a company’s waste or industrial pollution. Statisticians play an important role in finance, business and industry. For example, actuaries employ statisticians to work out risks (how likely something is to happen) in areas such as pensions and life insurance. Statisticians also work for banks, assessing credit risks (credit scoring), and investment companies, following and analysing the stock market. Insurance companies employ statisticians to produce models of risks and life expectancies. There are also statisticians in areas like teaching, and university lecturing and research.

While statisticians can work on their own as consultants, they nearly always work in teams, collecting and analysing data from a variety of sources and communicating with other professionals who are not statisticians. They always have to think carefully about the methods they use to collect and interpret data. For example, bias can occur unintentionally, perhaps if a factor is left out, and this may distort the results.

Personal qualities and skills

To be a statistician, you must have excellent mathematical and statistical skills. You will need the awareness and decision-making abilities to choose the right data and statistical methods for each task. You should be aware of bias in statistical analysis, and the fact that different people will use your statistics to suit their own ends. A logical, methodical approach, with attention to detail, is essential. However, statisticians also need a love of problem solving, curiosity, and flexibility to try several different approaches. They also need to be good communicators, with excellent teamwork skills. The ability to explain findings is essential, including through written reports.

Pay and opportunities

Salaries for statisticians vary, depending on the sector they work in. The pay rates given are approximate. Statisticians start on around £23,000 per year but this can rise as high as £62,000 with experience.

Statisticians usually work office hours (37-39 hours per week), Monday to Friday.

The Civil Service, the largest single employer, recruits statisticians for the Government Statistical Service (GSS), which provides statisticians for various government departments. Other employers include local authorities, large industrial firms such as pharmaceutical companies, research organisations (including market research) and financial institutions. Opportunities for statisticians occur with employers and government departments in towns and cities throughout the UK.

Where are vacancies advertised?

The GSS recruits many statisticians through the Fast Stream (the Civil Service’s graduate programme). Vacancies for other employers are advertised on the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) website. Vacancies also appear in national newspapers, specialist magazines such as New Scientist (including its online version), and on scientific and general recruitment websites. Specialist job boards include StatsJobs.

Entry routes and training

The most direct route to employment as a statistician is a degree in statistics or applied statistics. You can also study statistics in combination with subjects such as mathematics, economics, business and computing. Some universities offer degree courses with a foundation year. This is an extra year for students who don’t have the specified A-levels for entry. You can enter many areas of employment immediately after graduation, including the GSS.

For some careers, you may want or need a postgraduate qualification, such as an MSc. For example, the pharmaceutical industry often looks for applicants with an MSc. Entry can be possible with a BSc, although pharmaceutical employers will often expect you to gain an MSc while in employment (they might sponsor you to do this). Applicants with PhDs are in great demand in all areas of employment (you’ll usually need one to enter a university research post).

You could also begin a level 7 (degree) apprenticeship as a medical statistician, which offers a pathway into roles within the pharmaceuticals, healthcare, food safety and other related industries.

You might have training on-the-job or by going on short courses. Generally, continuing professional development includes things such as doing research, going to conferences and training other statisticians.

Qualifications

For entry to a degree in statistics, the usual minimum requirement is:

Two to three A-levels, including maths.
GCSEs at grades 9-4 in your A-level subjects.
A further two to three GCSEs (grades 9-4). English Language is essential at some universities.

Alternatives to A levels include:

Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 Nationals.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

However, course requirements vary, so please check prospectuses carefully.

To qualify for a degree apprenticeship, you will need two relevant A-levels and GCSEs in English and maths.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have gained statistical skills through business or financial experience.

The Royal Statistical Society offers a number of professional examinations in statistics at different levels, up to the Graduate Diploma, which is equivalent to an honours degree in statistics. The Society can provide information about where courses are held and the availability of distance learning materials.

If you don’t have the qualifications needed to enter a degree course, you might be able to start one after completing an Access course, for example, Access to Science. You don’t usually need any qualifications to enter an Access course, although you should check this with the course provider. A range of colleges and universities offer courses in statistics / mathematics including with part time/flexible and distance learning study options.

Funding is available, through universities, for certain postgraduate studies and research in statistics from UKRI (UK Research and Innovation).

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