Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools

Navigation

Economist

Economists are interested in the factors that influence the well-being of people and aim to find solutions to improve people's standard of living. This includes studying how financial, labour and trade markets are organised and how they interact.

 

Tasks & duties

Economists may do some or all of the following, depending on their area of specialisation:

  • collect information on the economy or a specific part of the economy
  • study and analyse information
  • develop economic policies and plans
  • make predictions on the economy or parts of the economy based on their research
  • use computer software to predict economic behaviour
  • study and explain economic events
  • advise the Government and businesses
  • write reports and give presentations
  • read economic literature

 

Skills & knowledge

Economists need to have:

  • knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of economic methods and theories
  • the ability to keep up to date with economic, social and technological developments, and politics and current affairs
  • knowledge of overseas economic ideas and trends
  • knowledge of maths, including statistics, for using methodologies to think about the world and specific issues
  • an understanding of human behaviour
  • skill in analysing and interpreting figures
  • research skills
  • skill in expressing ideas clearly and concisely
  • problem-solving skills
  • computer skills
  • decision-making ability
  • good oral and written communication skills
  • good time and project management skills
  • marketing and presentation skills

 

Entry requirements

To become an economist you need to have a degree with an economics component such as statistics, economic history, finance, business, accounting and philosophy.
A postgraduate degree in economics is preferred.

 

Secondary education

A tertiary entrance qualification is required to enter further training. 
Bursary or NCEA equivalent English, maths with calculus or statistics, and economics are useful.

 

Training on the job

Skills are gained on the job. External training courses may be provided in:

  • project management
  • communications 
  • report writing
  • public speaking
  • econometrics (the study of economic theory and statistics together)
  • job-specific computer courses

Opportunities may also be available to do postgraduate study.

 

Useful experience

Useful experience for economists includes having worked as an:

  • accountant
  • journalist
  • actuary

Work in the public sector or in management is also useful, as is any public speaking experience.

 

Video

Careers with Inland Revenue

From just a job on you tube

 

Related courses

Economics
Statistics

 

For more information, please refer to Career Services.

Document Actions