Case Study

Big data skills

Abstract: My PhD explores the impact of big data on skill requirements for employers in Scotland, asking the following question: How is big data changing skill demands for employers? The main question of sociological interest is as follows: Has big data created a new skill divide? This case study explains my mixed-methods design and examines the first strand of my data analysis which is quantitative and uses regression analysis. So far, I have addressed one aspect of big data skill inequalities using the British Cohort Study and the 1986 arithmetic data from this study to investigate social inequalities. The main statistical analysis that has been conducted thus far uses data from the Employer Skill Survey in regression models. This case will explain my overall mixed-methods approach and discuss the practical aspects and challenges of my statistical analysis.