Data scientist job openings are rising. A survey of 280 international data scientists found a 57% increase in positions allocated. The survey was done by the Big Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Observatory run by the Politecnico di Milano School of Management in Italy.

“As big data analytics grips the world of business and as companies increasingly understand the merit of using this valuable information in their decision-making processes, the role of the data scientist is increasing both in popularity and in availability,” said Alessandro Piva, director of the research observatory. “This is one example of a job created in recent years by huge advances in our understanding of tech and our ability to interpret masses of data that often used to stagnate in unread files — or sometimes even failed to be collected.”

The research suggests businesses will increasingly look to integrate data scientist roles into their hiring strategies.

“At a time when speculation around the number of jobs which will be replaced by robots and automation is rife, MIP’s research demonstrates how the technological revolution is, in actual fact creating fresh demand for highly skilled professionals,” said Erica Titchener, head of technology and operations consulting at Alexander Mann Solutions.

“For medium and large businesses in particular, investing in data analysis is no longer novel or luxurious — it’s business imperative,” Titchener said. “Companies which fail to create workforces which can harness the potential of big data analytics face a very real risk of being left behind by their competitors as the pace of technological change advances.”