What does a Economist do?

Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy. Day to day that includes work like study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture and Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques.

What skills should a Economist put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Judgment and Decision Making among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Economist list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Aptech Systems GAUSS, C++, Camfit Data Limited Microfit, Corel QuattroPro, and Corel WordPerfect Office Suite. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Economist work?

O*NET records 33 titles for this occupation, including Economic Analyst, Economic Consultant, Forensic Economist, and Economic Advisor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Economist need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 50% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Economist role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Economist resume example

A resume for a Economist needs to show the work itself: conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy. Day to day that means work like this: study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture; compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Economic Analyst
Economic Consultant
Forensic Economist
Economic Advisor
Economic Development Specialist
Project Economist
Research Economist
Revenue Research Analyst
Tax Economist
Agricultural Economist
Business Economist
Consultant Economist
Econometrician
Economic Developer
Economic Research Analyst
Environmental Economist
Financial Economist
Fiscal Economist

O*NET records 33 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture.
Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques.
Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations.
Explain economic impact of policies to the public.
Review documents written by others.
Provide advice and consultation on economic relationships to businesses, public and private agencies, and other employers.
Formulate recommendations, policies, or plans to solve economic problems or to interpret markets.
Supervise research projects and students' study projects.
Conduct research on economic issues, and disseminate research findings through technical reports or scientific articles in journals.
Develop economic guidelines and standards, and prepare points of view used in forecasting trends and formulating economic policy.
Teach theories, principles, and methods of economics.
Testify at regulatory or legislative hearings concerning the estimated effects of changes in legislation or public policy, and present recommendations based on cost-benefit analyses.

14 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Study the socioeconomic impacts of new public policies, such as proposed legislation, taxes, services, and regulations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Explain economic impact of policies to the public, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Aptech Systems GAUSS
C++
Camfit Data Limited Microfit
Corel QuattroPro
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Econometric Software LIMDEP
ESRI ArcView
Estima Regression Analysis of Time Series RATS
Estimates Delivery System EDS
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
Global Insight AREMOS
IBM Lotus 1-2-3
IBM SPSS Statistics
Insightful S-PLUS

51 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

10-key calculators
Data scanners
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Maintrame computers
Personal computers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Python
R
SAS
supervise trainees

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Critical Thinking
02Mathematics
03Reading Comprehension
04Active Listening
05Judgment and Decision Making
06Speaking
07Writing
08Active Learning
09Complex Problem Solving
10Instructing

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Mathematics
Economics and Accounting
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Education and Training

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

50%Master's Degree
25%Doctoral Degree
21%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Economist do?: Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy. Day to day that includes work like study economic and statistical data in area of specialization, such as finance, labor, or agriculture and Compile, analyze, and report data to explain economic phenomena and forecast market trends, applying mathematical models and statistical techniques.
What skills should a Economist put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Judgment and Decision Making among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Economist list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Aptech Systems GAUSS, C++, Camfit Data Limited Microfit, Corel QuattroPro, and Corel WordPerfect Office Suite. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Economist work?: O*NET records 33 titles for this occupation, including Economic Analyst, Economic Consultant, Forensic Economist, and Economic Advisor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Economist need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 50% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Economist role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.