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AI Work Index

Data scientist

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AI Exposure Rank

99/100

Very High

Range 93–100/100 across source-weight sensitivity checks

Data scientist has an AI Exposure Rank of 99/100, meaning its work is more exposed to current AI capabilities than approximately 99% of Singapore occupations. The evidence currently points to augmentation led growth; this is a relative rank, not a probability of job loss.

Augmentation-led growthIn demand (SOL 2026)

Professionals·SGD 9,047/mo (6,890–12,132)·~2.9K workers in SG·Updated 2026-07-17

Relative AI exposure, not a prediction of job loss. Hiring, wages and role design depend on many forces this rank does not forecast.

Wage 39% above group median Exposure 31pp above group median #2 of 182 in Professionals →
01

How This Rank Is Built

The evidence behind this occupation's AI exposure, with human-work and demand context shown separately. Score stability: watch. How this works

Tasks AI can handle

With 92% AI task overlap (based on Felten AIOE, Anthropic Economic Index, and Eloundou GPT exposure), the Data scientist tasks most exposed include: running standard statistical analyses, generating charts, cleaning data, writing SQL queries, and producing summary reports from structured data.

  • • Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
  • • Maintain library of model documents, templates, or other reusable knowledge assets.
  • • Process clinical data, including receipt, entry, verification, or filing of information.

O*NET tasks for this occupation with the most observed Claude usage (Anthropic task data).

What AI can't do here

At 51% human bottleneck protection, the tasks that remain hardest to automate for Data scientist include: framing the right question, identifying data quality issues, interpreting results in business context, communicating insights to non-technical stakeholders, and making judgment calls on methodology.

Main insulation channels: Deep preparation + Non-routine work — the work-context dimensions behind this occupation's human bottleneck.

Skills to focus on

Problem FramingStatistical ReasoningStorytelling with DataDomain Contextualization

Sources: Felten AIOE (2021), Anthropic Economic Index (2026), Eloundou GPT Exposure (Science, 2024), Pizzinelli et al. bottleneck model. Full methodology.

From exposure to employment

What could change the employment outcome?

AI capability is only the starting point. Adoption, task design, human oversight, demand, mobility and evidence quality determine how exposure may resolve in practice.

01

Workplace adoption

Leading sectors represented

Some listed industries have MOM sector adoption evidence; observed-sector average 62.7%.

02

Task structure

Task evidence available

100% weighted task match · 41% effective coverage

03

Human advantage

Coordination and judgment still matter

At 51% human bottleneck protection, the tasks that remain hardest to automate for Data scientist include: framing the right question, identifying data quality issues, interpreting results in business context, communicating insights to non-technical stakeholders, and making judgment calls on methodology.

04

Hiring and demand

3.4% vacancy rate · 2026 Q1

PMET vacancies increased from Q4 and remained below their year-ago level. Hiring stayed net positive but slowed, while retrenchment incidence remained the highest of the three broad occupation groups. In 2025, this broad occupation group had 0.9% time-related underemployment and 6.9% non-permanent employment. Across the published male and female series, CPI-adjusted median income changed -0.8% to +2.3% from 2018 to 2023.

05

Career transitions

Clinical research professional

moderate modeled transition; outcomes still depend on skills, wages and openings.

06

Evidence strength

high confidence

3 exposure sources · sensitivity 93–100/100 across source-weight sensitivity checks.

These lenses are reported separately and do not alter AI Exposure Rank. Labour-market figures describe a broad official occupation cluster, not this SSOC occupation alone.

02

Singapore Now

Current labour market conditions and how they affect this role.

Local conditions are under more strain. Vacancies have softened and displacement signals are less forgiving.

Vacancy

3.4%

↓ 2.9% YoY

Hiring

1.2%

vs 0.7% resign

Retrenchment

2.6

per 1,000 · moderate

Re-entry

69.1%

find work in 12mo· +1.4pp

Professionals, Managers, Executives & Technicians · 2026 Q1

Top Industries

Public Administration & Education Services
18%
Financial & Insurance Services
16%
Professional Services
13%

Industry vacancy overlays use the latest published detailed cross-tab, which can lag the main labour monitor.

03

What You Can Do

Data scientist has some offset potential, but it depends on task redesign holding up in practice and on workers clearing the main switching frictions.

Related roles you could transition to

Exposure-reducing

Higher AI exposure, but comparatively credible exposure-reducing moves exist — the strongest scores 78% match. Escape-route quality and labour demand matter alongside exposure.

See how this compares to similar occupations

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Frequently asked questions

Will AI replace Data scientist?

Data scientist has an AI Exposure Rank of 99/100, meaning its work is more exposed to current AI capabilities than approximately 99% of Singapore occupations. The evidence currently points to augmentation led growth; this is a relative rank, not a probability of job loss. AI Exposure Rank: 99/100 (Very High). Median wage: SGD 9,047/month.

What is the AI exposure rank for Data scientist?

Data scientist has an AI Exposure Rank of 99/100, rated Very High. It ranks higher than approximately 99% of Singapore occupations for exposure to current AI capabilities; it is not a job-loss probability.

What career transitions are available for Data scientist?

Data scientist has modeled transition pathways to related occupations. The strongest adjacent pathway is Clinical research professional, based on skill and wage similarity (model-estimated). Transition scoring accounts for wage preservation, training ease, and destination quality.

How does Data scientist salary compare in the live market?

Data scientist earns a median gross wage of SGD 9,047/month in the live market (25th-75th percentile: SGD 6,890-12,132). This is 101% above median across all 562 scored occupations, and 39% above group median within Professionals occupations.