Interesting Job Prospects for Operations Research

[Princeton Man]

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Employment of operations research analysts is expected to grow 22 percent over the 2008-18 period, much faster than the average for all occupations. As technology advances and companies further emphasize efficiency, demand for operations research analysis should continue to grow. Technological advancements have extended the availability of data access and storage, making information more readily available. Advancements in computing capabilities and analytical software have made it cheaper and faster for analysts to solve problems. As problem solving becomes cheaper and faster with technological advances, more firms will have the ability to employ or consult with analysts.

Additionally, organizations increasingly will be faced with the pressure of growing domestic and international competition and must work to maximize organizational efficiency. As a result, businesses increasingly will rely on operations research analysts to optimize profits by improving productivity and reducing costs. As new technologies are introduced into the marketplace, operations research analysts will be needed to determine how to best use those new technologies.

Job prospects. Jobs for operations research analysts exist in almost every industry because of the diversity of applications for their work. As businesses and government agencies continue to contract out jobs to cut costs, opportunities for operations research analysts will be best in management, scientific, and technical consulting firms. The relatively small pool of qualified candidates will result in excellent opportunities for those with a master’s or Ph.D. degree in operations research or management science. Operations research is not a particularly well-known field, which means there are fewer applicants competing for each job.

Does FE parallel these prospects ?

 

[Faisal]

This was written about two years ago. I wonder if the grass is still as green on the side of entry level OR analysts?

The relatively small pool of qualified candidates will result in excellent opportunities for those with a master’s or Ph.D. degree in operations research or management science.

Does it really hold true, especially in the case of master's students? On our part, we know that the OR graduates of at least one top program are not finding it very pretty in the market. So where does all this promising forecasts lead to, especially for few students who are naive enough to embark on their career based on flawed trends? On the other hand, how reliable are the words of the oracles who spell out doom for the career of an aspiring quant based on the current state of financial markets?