14 Oct Research & Insight: Five Years On – Skills Outlook for 2030

In 2020, I wrote Time to Shine — a look at where our industry was heading and the skills we’d need to thrive by 2030.

The article was largely accurate stating that the most effective insights would come with machine and humans working in harmony. 

As Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning continue to dominate, Deloitte are boldly claiming the Future of Work is already here, stating “now is the time to reimagine why, where, and how work gets done”.

Quantium, a global leader in data science & analytics publicly made the decision in early 2024 to go ‘all in on AI’. As part of this transformation, data scientists, statisticians, consultants, engineers, technologists, programmers, product developers and futurists all have their place.

Within the Market Research and Insights industry, consultancies keep watching briefs open for candidates with strong consulting backgrounds, behavioural & marketing science pedigree and advanced qualitative & quantitative research skills. The ability to translate data & insights into commercial action has never been so important.

Underpinning it all are five traits we now hire for relentlessly: curiosity, critical thinking, optimism, persistence, and agility. 

At a director level, it’s often a candidate’s reputation, network and commercial drive that tip the scales.

As the industry rapidly evolves, executive Leaders and C-suite will need to bring in new skills for the future. What was good before is now average and so it is down to our industry Leaders to look at how we navigate change. The ability to lead, steer and move people through these choppy waters is going to see some organisation thrive and others fall further behind.

There will be more use of automation with offshore teams providing cost effective solutions. Traditional research will continue but clients will expect better quality, cheaper and faster. ResTech businesses like Ideally and Tracksuit are proving there’s appetite for this, and a clear commercial model.

One area that’s gone from background to boardroom is data governance and integrity. According to the 2025 Data Integrity Trends Report from Drexel LeBow and Precisely, 62 per cent of organisations cite governance of AI data as a key challenge. 

More than ever, employers competing for top talent need a clearly defined vision, purpose, promise and values to win the talent race. Partnering with a specialist search and talent advisory firm that truly understand the landscape should no longer be optional, it should be part of your core talent strategy.

About the Author:

James Handley founded Flow Recruitment in September 2018, a search, talent consulting and workforce advisory firm, focused exclusively on building Research, Data, Insights, Analytics & AI talent strategies, brands and teams across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and USA.

Flow partners with start-ups, scale-ups and global enterprises helping build their Research, Data, Insights, Analytics and AI capabilities. 

To discuss your next hire, or recruitment strategy, get in touch with James Handley – Founder & Director at Flow Recruitment: james@flowrecruitment.com.au 

Article written by James Handley, 14 October 2025

James Handley
Founder, FLOW Recruitment – Research I Data I Insights I Analytics I AI

flowrecruitment.com.au