Skills
Economist Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in economists, and how to build and show them.
What skills do economists need?
Economists need technical skills such as econometrics, statistics, and economic theory, plus people skills like critical thinking and communication. They also use tools such as Stata and R or Python.
Technical (hard) skills
- Econometrics
- Statistics
- Economic theory
- Programming
- Writing
- Forecasting
People (soft) skills
- Critical thinking
- Communication
- Curiosity
- Objectivity
Tools, equipment and technology
- Stata
- R or Python
- Excel
- Economic databases
- MATLAB
- Presentation tools
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how economists put their skills to work:
- How to write an economic policy brief
- How to run a regression for policy analysis
- How to build a simple economic forecast
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Econometrics” and “Statistics.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “critical thinking,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Master’s or Ph.D. in economics near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our economist glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Economist training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.