How to Find & Hire Freelance Data Analyst
Data analysis is the process of gathering or extracting information to organize it and interpret it in a meaningful way. This is a foundation of data-driven business decisions whether it comes to a new product release, market research, or marketing strategy. This is a powerful way to understand the challenges and issues a company might face and the ways to address them. When looking to hire a freelance data analyst, it’s important to consider their expertise in data lake services, which can help businesses efficiently store and manage large volumes of data for analysis.
That’s why a lot of enterprises look for an experienced Big Data engineer to add to their team. Such a professional knows exactly how to gather, organize, and interpret information correctly.
According to the newest data, the main benefits of freelance data analytics for companies are:
- Increased efficiency and productivity;
- More effective decision-making;
- Improved financial performance;
- Ability to gain competitive advantage in the market;
- Better customer experience;
- Creation of new streams of revenue.
Hiring a suitable freelance data analyst is important because it allows for solving any challenges an organization might face internally or externally. Automation of processes also leads to cost optimization. A business can target the right audience more effectively. And the right data analyst freelance can add innovation factor and boost the company’s performance among the competition.
According to Businesswire, the global Big Data analytics market is expected to reach $105 billion by 2027.
Benefits of Hiring a Data Engineer Freelance
Collaboration with freelancers gives similar opportunities to businesses of all sizes. Otherwise, a lot of startups and small companies would not be able to access such a level of expertise.
Here are the main benefits a freelance data engineer can bring:
- Access to the senior level of expertise at a reasonable cost;
- Provision of actionable insights on various aspects of the company’s workflow and performance;
- Provision of interpretation and comprehensive reports to make decision-making faster and more productive;
- Opportunity to uncover new opportunities like markets, revenue streams, or better customer service;
- Insight into current market trends and recurring patterns.
In collaboration with an experienced database consultant, freelance data engineers ensure well-informed and data-based business decisions. You will understand better how your product performs on the market and how the audience perceives the brand. Such experts are essential to driving business growth in a data-driven way.
Data Analyst Responsibilities, Skills, and Tools
So what exactly a data analyst freelancer do? The typical responsibilities and duties of such a specialist include:
- Master data management;
- Design, develop, and manage the environment for reporting (including the sources of information, data security, and metadata);
- Test and troubleshoot the reporting environment and reports;
- Creation of full reports on the acquired information with statistical and visualization tools;
- Explaining the reports and dashboards to respectable users (employees, managers, vendors, or investors);
- Evaluate the integrity of data, and look into any possible concerns or issues;
- Design and implement the streamlined processes for improved data gathering and quality of information;
- Expertise concerning data storage, mining, and cleansing.
Data analytics freelance also requires specific knowledge, competencies, and skills. The main hard and soft skills for such an expert are:
- Deep knowledge of SQL;
- Proficiency in Big Data, data systems, mining, and reorganization;
- Expertise in a statistical programming language (for example R or Python);
- Previous work and excellent with spreadsheet software (MS Excel, Google Sheets);
- Expertise in data visualization software;
- Proficiency in Mathematics and Statistics;
- Knowledge of the main BI tools, such as MicroStrategy BI, QlikView, Tibco Spotfire, or Tableau.
- Experience with BI MS solutions like PowerView, PowerPivot, and Excel.
- Soft skills like problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, project management, and attention to detail.
Top Sites to Hire a Data Analyst Freelance
If you are interested in data engineering freelance or wondering about how to hire a data scientist there are many platforms that offer the opportunity to find a suitable candidate. Here are the top picks to look for experts.
Upwork
As one of the largest freelance databases in the world, Upwork is great in terms of the talent pool. Here you can post a job offering and wait until candidates apply. After that, a company can select a suitable provider. One of the advantages is that every freelancer has a track record of previous projects and ratings. There is also a payment security feature, which adds to the safety of cooperation.
Hired
This website has a different approach. It vets and tests candidates that are presented here. So the talent pool is smaller but there are fewer risks as well. You look through the accounts of analysts and manually decide who to contact. Freelancers have the right to accept or deny the offer. The website is good but the hiring process might take some time.
Mobilunity
It is an outstaffing agency that does all the recruiting for you. You only need to clarify what professional you are looking for and what expertise is essential. After that, experienced recruiters will find the best candidates to choose from. This saves a lot of time and effort and eliminates the potential risks of cooperating with freelancers.
Toptal
This is another website that has a vetting system to make sure all the featured freelancers are qualified. Toptal checks the hard and soft skills to match a company with the best provider based on your requirements. The talent pool might be smaller yet there is a decent choice of professionals.
Fiverr
This one is a lot like Upwork. Here you can find all types of freelancers, not only IT-focused. The talent pool is quite good and there is an easy system of finding candidates. The site offers constant support and payment security.
In-House vs Outstaffing vs Freelancers: Full Comparison
There are three main ways to recruit data analysts. Every one of them has its perks and risks, so the choice depends on the company’s objective and resources. Here is a comparison table of all of them.
| In-House | Outstaffing | Freelancers | |
| Longevity | The longest hiring process | Often the fastest hiring method as recruiters can find suitable candidates quickly | Hard to evaluate as it depends on a multitude of factors |
| Cost | The most expensive | Cost-efficient | Can be cost-effective depending on the rates and related disbursements |
| Talent pool | Limited to the location and availability | Wide talent pool | Wide talent pool |
| Communication | Offline and instant | Online, fast | Online, mostly fast |
| Advantages | Company fit, constant cooperation, workload control, dedication, motivation | Budget-friendly, quick and efficient, and flexible, and a great talent pool | Cost reduction and opportunity to work on a project basis |
| Disadvantages | Expensive and time-consuming. Often the talent is limited | Time zones and cultural differences | Low retention, possible security concerns, less commitment to the project, and risk of losing an employee without replacement (sickness, accident, change of project, etc) |
Freelance Data Analyst Salary
The salary for such experts depends on experience, expertise, and geographical location. Usually, the first two factors are identified by junior, middle, or senior levels. Here is a comparison table of hourly rates for all three levels in 5 countries.
| Junior | Middle | Senior | |
| USA | $27 | $39 | $48 |
| Germany | $27.22 | $31.74 | $40.46 |
| UK | $13.39 | $25.52 | $30.47 |
| Netherlands | $30.26 | $43.13 | $53.4 |
| Ukraine | $20* | $25* | $35* |
*Ukrainian salaries are provided based on Mobilunity’s Recruitment Team research on the local job markets. All salaries are net and do not include the service fee (in case of hiring on a dedicated team model). The salaries are provided for comparison purposes and could be not entirely accurate. Contact us to know the exact cost of hiring a developer corresponding to the required parameters.
As one can see, hiring a specialist in Ukraine is significantly cheaper than finding the same level of expertise in the US, the UK, or the EU. This is why Eastern Europe in general and Ukraine in particular, are among the top outsourcing and outstaffing destinations when it comes to data analysis.
Mobilunity is Your Data Analysis Partner in Ukraine
Mobilunity is an experienced Ukrainian outstaffing company. We’ve been providing businesses all over the world with excellent IT specialists for more than a decade. Our expert team can find and recruit the best data engineers, consultants, and analysts for your project in the shortest time.
Mobilunity offers dedicated teams or separate professionals on a flexible basis. You can hire part-time or full-time specialists, based on your requirements. This gives the cooperation the flexibility of freelancing without any security risks. We serve as a guarantor of quality and timely delivery. This way your company can get the best of two worlds.
Our team has partnered with companies of all sizes and many industries, including BYG-E (Denmark), Network of Arts (Switzerland), ICUC Social (Canada), Paidy (Japan), Vayomar (Israel), and Zenchef (France). Our company is excellent at recruiting the best talent with the rarest expertise.
If you are looking for an excellent freelance data analyst, contact our team today!
All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate NET numbers based on the research done by our in-house Recruitment Team. Please use these numbers as a guide for comparison purposes only and feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.
