Why does a data vacancy stay open for months?

A data vacancy that has been open for six months is rarely about scarcity. There are plenty of data analysts and data engineers; they simply are not responding to this vacancy. In the conversations we have, the same three causes keep coming back, and all three can be fixed without raising the salary.

Is the vacancy actually asking for two people?

Data engineering, building dashboards, bringing stakeholders along and putting a model into production as well. Anyone who can do all of that already has a job.

Those who do apply are good at one part and average at the rest, so they get rejected. The vacancy empties itself: the requirements exclude everyone who would have fitted.

Split the role. A data engineer who builds pipelines and a data analyst who creates the insight are found faster together than one person who has to do everything. Often the second role can be temporary: six months of capacity is enough to clear the backlog.

Do the requirements describe the work or the past?

Five years of experience with a tool that has existed for three. A certification nobody on the team holds. Requirements like these do not filter for quality, they filter for coincidence.

Describe the work of the first six months instead. What is waiting, what is the first assignment, who sits next to them? People recognise themselves in that, and it makes selection fairer.

Is anyone having the conversation, or is the advert alone?

The best data professionals are not looking. They have jobs, they are approached weekly, and they respond to a good conversation, not to an advert.

Without someone actively having that conversation, the vacancy stays open no matter how well it is written. That is exactly what New Data Search exists for.

What does solving this get you?

A shorter lead time, but above all fewer people leaving again after six months. A placement is not an end point, it is the start of a relationship.

If you are unsure whether the vacancy is the problem or something behind it, the New Data Scan is the starting point.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a data vacancy stay open?

Six to eight weeks is normal for a data analyst or BI specialist. Longer than three months and the cause is almost always the text or the lack of outreach.

Does a higher salary help?

Rarely. Candidates who move only on salary also leave on salary.

What is the difference between a data analyst and a data engineer?

A data analyst turns numbers into decisions. A data engineer builds the pipelines those numbers come from.