New research from Manchester data and productivity platform Matillion has revealed that nine in ten UK data professionals say the volume of their work has increased in the last 12 months, with 84 per cent adding that it exceeds the capacity of their team.
Painting a picture of how data teams are coming under increasing pressure, Data Productivity: A Survey of Data Experts demonstrates the extent to which professionals are hampered by inefficient technologies and limited resources.
With the Prime Minister prioritising the tech sector, and particularly artificial intelligence, as a spearhead of economic growth, it is clear more needs to be done to improve data productivity and compete in the digital economy, the reports authors say.
Data decision makers are reporting a knock-on effect on staff retention and morale. 89 per cent of those surveyed reported that they struggle to retain staff, with lack of career progression (55 per cent) and limited internal resources (45 per cent) cited as the leading causes.
Seven in ten (70 per cent) of respondents report that they are feeling at least a little stressed, while over half (53 per cent) say the same for being burnt out.
Artificial intelligence is seen by many respondents as a key enabler of productive work with data, with almost all (96 per cent) saying that AI/automation benefits the process of data integration. In a similar vein, 95 per cent agree that automating certain aspects of their workload would improve their job satisfaction.
“This research highlights the data productivity pitfalls that modern data teams experience on a day-to-day basis,” said Ed Thompson, CTO and co-founder of Matillion. “By taking note of these results — and partnering with organizations like ours to find solutions – businesses can empower their data teams to perform and prioritize impactful projects rather than the transformation of data; assure key decision makers with precision in their business decisions; and make it simple and cost-effective to deliver the right data to the right person at the right time.”
