In recent years, there has been a growing recognition worldwide that data-driven decision-making is indispensable to addressing complex and interdisciplinary challenges. The social sector ecosystem is increasingly relying on large datasets and sophisticated technologies to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues such as climate change, epidemics, and inequality. 

If the Data for Social Impact (DSI) field keeps growing at the same rate as all jobs in the formal sector, it is estimated that there will be about 220,000 DSI jobs to fill in developing countries over the next ten years. But the supply of quality talent has remained low even though data analysts and scientists have been among the jobs with the highest demand.

There are various factors contributing to this gulf between demand and supply, including the limited availability of data science training programs with a strong social impact orientation as well as lack of exposure to promising pathways to long-term careers. In this context, through the India Climate and Health Data Capacity Accelerator (IDCA), J-PAL South Asia, in collaboration with Data.org, is working to build a cohort of professionals equipped to ride this wave of data utilization by giving them the tools to identify patterns, spot emerging trends, and make evidence-based decisions. 

Read here to learn more about Investing in Data Talent for Social Impact Matters Now More Than Ever.