Economist

Print

Work Tasks

• Study how society uses resources such as land, labor, and natural resources
• Study how much things cost, how money is borrowed, and how much workers are paid
• Provide answers to questions about money problems and how unemployment and taxes affect people
• Help businesses and the government make budgets
• Work in offices or classrooms for economic firms, advertisers, banks, insurance companies, colleges, investment firms, and the government
• Work with economic theories, trade policies, government rules, production costs, market trends, statistics, calculators, and computers

Salary, Size & Growth

• $92,500 average per year ($44.50 per hour)
• A small occupation (13,200 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow slowly (0.6% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A 4-year degree in economics for research assistant jobs; a master's degree for advanced research and administrative positions
• Employers Prefer: A Ph.D. for top economist positions, to teach in colleges and universities, or work for corporations and government
• Skills/Courses: College courses include economics, history of economic thought, math, statistics, sampling theory and survey design, and computer science.