Data Analyst vs Subsurface Data Scientist: what energy employers ask for
As of 12 November 2026, Plutarch tracked 346 open Data Analyst postings and 14 open Subsurface Data Scientist postings at energy employers.
Skills and tools
Share of the postings we could read in full that name each skill: 260 for Data Analyst, 12 for Subsurface Data Scientist.
— means not among those shown on that role's own page, not that no posting names it.
| Skill or tool | Data Analyst | Subsurface Data Scientist |
|---|---|---|
| Python | 41% | 58% |
| SQL | 49% | 33% |
| Power BI | 47% | 25% |
| Excel | 38% | 25% |
| ETL / ELT pipelines | — | 25% |
| Machine learning | 12% | 25% |
| Reservoir modelling (Petrel) | — | 25% |
| Statistics | 23% | 25% |
| Tableau | 16% | — |
| Azure | 12% | — |
| SAP | 12% | — |
| Databricks | 10% | — |
Where the postings are
— means not among those shown on that role's own page, not that no posting names it.
| Country | Data Analyst | Subsurface Data Scientist |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 39% | 43% |
| Canada | 5% | 7% |
| France | — | 7% |
| India | 7% | 7% |
| Malaysia | — | 7% |
| Germany | 4% | — |
| United Kingdom | 4% | — |
How many postings state pay
- Data Analyst: 65 of 167 postings whose pay we could read (39%)
- Subsurface Data Scientist: 0 of 8 postings whose pay we could read (0%)
Pay levels are not compared here: each role's figures come from different countries and currencies. They are on each role's own page. Pay disclosure tracks local pay-transparency law more closely than employer policy, so the two rates partly reflect where each role is advertised.
This compares what employers ask for in the two roles; it does not count how many people hold those skills or say that one role can do the other.
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