Investment Analyst
Role lens
Investment analysts undertake research to make informed recommendations to fund managers. They research investments globally but depending on the nature and field of their employer they can specialise in fields like retail, infrastructure, energy, banking and financial services. They focus on financial and economical information such as the political and economic developments that can impact financial markets, the financial performance of the target companies and use the interpretation of data from different sources to understand how it affects investment decision making.
Investment analysts are vital to the financial world, conducting in-depth research to provide recommendations to fund managers. Your work involves scrutinizing financial and economic information, including political and economic developments, company performance, and market data. You’ll interpret this data from various sources to assess investment opportunities and potential risks. Depending on your employer, you might specialize in areas like retail, infrastructure, energy, or banking and financial services, broadening your expertise within a specific sector.
- • Researching investment opportunities globally, considering economic and political factors.
- • Analyzing financial statements and performance metrics of companies.
- • Developing investment recommendations and presenting them to fund managers.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Business and administration professionals — 134 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $102,740 2025-05 | +5.7% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +28.4% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | +75.6% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
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Future Outlook for investment analyst
The outlook for investment analyst reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could investment analyst change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- review investment portfolios
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- analyse economic trends
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse market financial trends
Tasks most exposed to automation
- obtain financial information
- provide support in financial calculation
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Financial Services
A typical day as an investment analyst
09 09:00 · Morning analyse economic trends
10 10:30 · Mid-morning analyse financial performance of a company
12 12:00 · Midday analyse market financial trends
14 14:00 · Afternoon monitor stock market
15 15:30 · Late afternoon obtain financial information
17 17:00 · Wrap-up provide support in financial calculation
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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analyse market financial trends
Monitor and forecast the tendencies of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time.
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monitor stock market
Observe and analyse the stock market and its trends on a daily basis to gather up-to-date information in order to develop investment strategies.
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analyse economic trends
Analyse developments in national or international trade, business relations, banking, and developments in public finance and how these factors interact with one another in a given economic context.
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analyse financial performance of a company
Analyse the performance of the company in financial matters in order to identify improvement actions that could increase profit, based on accounts, records, financial statements and external information of the market.
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review investment portfolios
Meet with clients to review or update an investment portfolio and provide financial advice on investments.
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provide support in financial calculation
Provide colleagues, clients or other parties with financial support for complex files or calculations.
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obtain financial information
Gather information on securities, market conditions, governmental regulations and the financial situation, goals and needs of clients or companies.
actuarial science
The rules of applying mathematical and statistical techniques to determine potential or existing risks in various industries, such as finance or insurance.
fundamental analysis
The techniques for measuring the intrinsic value of a financial security through the assessment its economic and financial factors. It combines together the analysis of macroeconomic trends and of financial statements of the companies.
- asset management
- data visualisation software
- economics
- empirical analysis
- financial markets
- financial products
- funding methods
- international trade
- modern portfolio theory
- quantitative analysis
Path to become an investment analyst
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Bachelor's or equivalent level
1,032 programmes in 26 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 165 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Professional Certificate (Asset Management)
Institute of Banking · Ireland
Sustainable Finance and Investments
Universiteit Utrecht · the Netherlands
Bachelor of Actuarial & Financial Studies
University College Dublin · Ireland
Financial Economics
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU) Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen · the Netherlands
BSC QUANTITATIVE FINANCE
Maynooth University · Ireland
These are 6 of 1,197.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
- 3. Irish course data from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), run by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does investment analyst fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What skills are most important for an investment analyst?
Can I become an investment analyst without a finance degree?
What’s the difference between working as an investment analyst in employment versus freelancing?
How much does Investment Analyst pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data