What does an economist do? What are the job responsibilities of an economist?

The profession of an economist is one of the most popular among Russian applicants. It is believed that economic education provides additional career opportunities, and is also in great demand in the labor market. Find out if this is true and what an economist will really have to do in the course of his career.

Average salary: 60,000 rubles per month

Demand

Payability

Competition

entry barrier

prospects

Economists are needed by small firms, large banks, and international corporations. Who else, besides representatives of this specialty, can indicate the necessary vector for the further development of the entire enterprise or the country in general? Who will competently draw up a business plan - a document that defines the entire marketing strategy, calculating various kinds of pitfalls? A good economist is a gray cardinal who is valued and listened to.

From the history of the profession

Initially, the ancient Greek term "economics" meant nothing more than the art of doing business. household. In those days, people consumed everything they produced, relied only on themselves and were completely self-sufficient.

The word "art" in this case is no exaggeration. After all, home economics had to be dealt with with limited resources, the absence of commodity production as such. It was very difficult to get out. However, this was required by the harsh conditions of the then life, built on subsistence farming.

At the moment when things began to be produced not for own consumption, and for exchange or for sale, the beginning of commodity-money relations was laid. At the same time, the first economists appeared. Of course, the profession did not have such a name in those distant times, but this does not change its essence.

The famous philosophers Plato and Aristotle thought about the problems of economics and sought their solutions, but Adam Smith became the creator of the science of housekeeping and the founder of classical economic theory. He expounded his views in a full-fledged scientific work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

V further development economic science continued to increase the pace. Appeared whole line directions, several theoretical schools, founded by Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, Joseph Schumpeter, Friedrich Hayek, John Kenneth Galbraith, Milton Friedman.

Characteristics of the profession

A good hostess is one who manages with the minimum amount of resources and means to feed her family. It does not allow waste, but it does not make you starve. At the same time, she does not borrow money from a neighbor or consumer loans from a bank.

A good economist should act in much the same way. This is not just a person with the right set of necessary knowledge and good analytical thinking, this is a specialist, one of whose main tasks is to make correct forecasts. He must look ahead and, calculating everything to the smallest detail, prove the prospects and profitability of the chosen direction of economic activity.

It turns out that an economist is a kind of predictor. This is what distinguishes him from an accountant, auditor or tax inspector.

Economists are by no means boring or boring people. If someone thinks so, he is greatly mistaken. In their professional language there are such terms as "invisible hand", "indifference curves", "Robinson's economy" and even "creative destruction theory" that only witty intellectuals could come up with.

Skills and personal qualities

In order to study economics, the following qualities are required:

1. High level of intelligence. A future specialist cannot become successful without spatial imagination, the ability to reason consistently, logically, and think abstractly. In addition, you need the ability to assimilate a large amount of information.
2. Good memory. The modern generation has all the knowledge “at their fingertips”. He took out a gadget with Internet access, found the answer to the question that he saw for the first time - and is already ready to answer the teacher, as they say, from the wheels. However, for successful study and work, the necessary information must be in the head.
3. Attentiveness. You need to be able to focus on the important things. It is interesting that the Adam Smith we mentioned was an extremely absent-minded person and often fell out of reality. But the eminent reformer economic development was exclusively a theoretician, so he is forgiven.
4. perseverance. This is exactly the case when you go quieter - you will continue. This property helps to quickly and efficiently cope with complex professional tasks, which are many in everyday work. Control over your feelings, discipline and self-regulation - that's what you need to train the future economist.
5. Ability to work with large volumes of information. From this you will not get anywhere in modern realities. There are statistical and mathematical calculations, technologies, business, life cycle data. An economist needs to be able to form a clear and holistic vision of the final product, despite the uncertainties.

In addition, a specialist in the field of economics must be able to work on a computer with necessary programs, for example, with "Consultant plus" and "1C". He also needs to know English language and be fluent in accounting and tax accounting.

If you are still not completely sure about the choice of specialty, you can take a career guidance test. So you can understand if the profession of an economist is right for you.

Where to get an education

There are quite a lot of prestigious Russian universities that provide high-quality economic education. Let's name just a few of them:

• State University of Management in Moscow.
• Russian Economic University. G. V. Plekhanov.
• Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
• Moscow State University M. Lomonosov.
• National Research University Higher School of Economics.

A more extensive list is presented in the section "", in particular "" and "".

In large international companies, specialists who have received education abroad and have work experience are especially valued. The best foreign universities where they study economics:

• Harvard University.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• London School of Economics and Political Science.
• University of Chicago.
• University of California at Berkeley.

To enter a Russian university, you need to pass a unified state exam in three subjects: mathematics, social science and the Russian language. Passing scores in leading universities are high - from 80.

What specialties to study

Towards higher education"" you can get a fairly large range of specialties, the most popular of them:

Each of them is interesting in its own way and opens up different prospects for professional development.

Range of duties

Being a universal specialist, an economist solves many such diverse tasks as:

• Forecast the activities of the enterprise and develop strategies for action for the future.
• Analyze economic activity, calculate where you can save money and where you need to invest in new projects.
• Find ways to improve production efficiency.
• Look for ways to increase the profitability of the company.
• Compile financial statements.
• Increase profits and create reserves.
• Keep abreast of all changes in market conditions, respond quickly and competently to any challenges.

Who suits the profession

People with a humanitarian mindset, who find it difficult to do mathematical calculations, simply will not pull the specialty. This must be taken into account.

A person who decides to dive into the world of numbers, finance, reports, forecasting and analytics will have to study:

1. Introduction to economics.
2. Micro and macroeconomics.
3. economic theory.
4. statistics.
5. Accounting.
6. Management.
7. Marketing.
8. Banks and banking activity.
9. Finance and stock market.
10. Risk management and insurance.

The list goes on - this is only a part of the necessary items.

And one more important point. The work of an economist requires constant attention and tension. If a person is emotionally unstable, such a profession is clearly not for him.

How much does he earn

Qualified professionals make good money. Yesterday's university graduate will need more than one year for this.

Economists earn the most in Moscow - 53,000 rubles, the average income in Russia is just over 32,000 rubles. The level of the average salary of an economist in construction is 60,000 rubles, in the planning departments of companies and enterprises in other industries - 53,750 rubles. The salary of the chief economist is 50,000 rubles.

According to the russia.trud.com website, for half of the available vacancies, employers indicated a salary in the amount of 20 to 40 thousand rubles, for 28% - in the range from 40 to 60 thousand rubles. In general, the income of an economist depends on several components: the region, place of employment and the number of duties. The spread because of this can be impressive.

Career

An economist is a broad concept, and representatives of this profession can perform different duties. Accordingly, some employers are looking for an employee who understands the intricacies of Russian taxation and accounting. Others need a specialist in labor, contracts and wages. Still others need an economist who can the best way calculate investment projects so that the enterprise does not fly into the pipe.

Within one department, the career growth of an economist looks like this:

• economist;
• senior economist;
• Lead Economist;
• economist of the 1st category;
• deputy head of the subdivision.

• Deputy Head of the Department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Russian Federation;
• Deputy Head of the Department of Budgetary Management;
• Deputy Head of the Budget Department;
• Head of the Department of Macroeconomic Policy and Banking Activities of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation;
• Deputy Minister of Finance;
• Minister of Finance;
• First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

For starters, after graduation, you can start working in small businesses. In the future, when the experience necessary for making responsible decisions comes, there will also be offers to take key economic positions in larger companies with large cash flows.

There is a lot of competition in the labor market - over the past decades, universities have produced a lot of specialists, and there is already an overabundance of them, nevertheless, about 2 million students study at the faculties of economics today. Therefore, career growth will directly depend on strength of character, ambition, ambition and perseverance. With an analytical mindset and determination, there is every chance to quickly build a successful career. Therefore, if you work on yourself, you can quickly move from a junior economic specialist to the position of financial director of an enterprise.

The future of the profession

There is no reason to worry that the specialty will become obsolete and disappear as unnecessary. In the short term, economists will be needed in small and big business, in the financial and banking sectors. Insurance companies, state enterprises, transnational corporations need them.

For a career, it is better to get a “paired” position. For example, an economist - a financier, an analyst or an engineer. You can work in different areas - in production, marketing, logistics, innovative technologies, quality management, consulting.

Or a group of specialists allocated to a separate economic service is to ensure the maximum effective work enterprises. They analyze economic activity Based on the monitoring of statistical data and key financial indicators and based on its results, companies develop and coordinate the implementation of planned tasks.

Planned tasks are developed taking into account the economic and financial forecast, market conditions, the planned need for the company's products and many other indicators that affect the final result - improving the efficiency of the enterprise, improving the quality of its products and labor productivity.

A modern economist simply cannot perform his duties without organizing timely accounting of all financial and economic indicators of the enterprise. Therefore, maintaining databases and monitoring changes are also an indispensable part of the work of an economist. This is the basis for the correct forecasting and calculation of labor, material and financial costs necessary for the full and successful activity enterprises.

What an Economist Should Know

In order for the financial and economic activity of an enterprise to always be in the legal field, it is necessary to know all the current regulatory legal acts, federal and regional legislation governing this activity. He must also study and use in his work industry teaching materials planning, accounting and analysis of the company's activities.

An economist must be familiar with the methods and procedure for long-term and annual planning of the economic, financial and production activities of an enterprise, know the basics and procedure for compiling business plans. For successful work, he will need knowledge of the basics of maintaining planning and accounting documentation, the procedure for rationing material, labor and financial costs. He should be well acquainted with the methods that are used to determine the economic efficiency of the introduction of new technologies, methods and techniques, rationalization proposals and inventions.

The economist needs to master and use in his work modern methods economic analysis and accounting for performance indicators of the enterprise, effective organization labor. He must own software, allowing to conduct automated operational and statistical accounting, to know the procedure and terms for the provision of economic reporting.

Economists are specialists in the field of economics, experts on economic issues.

Economists are both scientists (that is, specialists in the field of economic science) and practitioners who work in the field of research, planning and management of economic activity.

In essence, an economist is a specialist in collecting, processing, organizing information about economic phenomena and processes, analyzing the course and results of economic activity, assessing its success and opportunities for improving it, forecasting, long-term and current planning.

In organizations, economists take part in the development of the budgeting system, control the execution of the budget, as well as the preparation and formation of periodic and management reporting. The duties of representatives of this profession are to research, plan and provide economic support for the financial and economic activities of the company.

The economist carries out an economic analysis of the economic activities of the organization, develops measures to ensure the savings regime, increase the efficiency of work, identify reserves, prevent losses and unproductive costs, more rational use all kinds of resources. Performs calculations on material, labor and financial costs necessary for carrying out works (services), research and development in development new technology and technology.

An economist is also called a person who writes articles and other materials on economic policy.

Personal qualities of an economist

Ability to analyze large amounts of information

Good memory,

High concentration of attention

Patience,

sociability,

Organizational skills.

Job Responsibilities

Solves problems related to planning, organizing and analyzing the economic activities of enterprises and institutions, organizing the work of workers in production. Checks the reporting certain types accounting, technical and economic work on planning, logistics, marketing, material and labor costs.

The economist carries out operational accounting of work performance and control of settlements with customers, draws up periodic reporting documents. Analyzes the current forms of primary documents and reporting, develops proposals for their improvement. Participates in the preparation of projects for the mechanization of computational processing of tasks in computer centers various types, in the development of standards for material and labor costs, in determining the cost of work and prices for services.

Formulates an economic statement of problems, explores the possibility of using finished projects, algorithms and programs of similar tasks. Collects scientific and technical information, systematizes and summarizes statistical information in research institutions, design, technological, design and survey organizations. Calculates the material and labor costs of ongoing research, determines their economic efficiency.

Places of work: an economist works in planning, financial and statistical bodies, enterprises, institutions and organizations.

Qualification requirements - higher economic education. Specialty "Economics and management at the enterprise", direction "Economics".

But before becoming a highly qualified specialist, able to give accurate forecasts and effective recommendations, it will take more than one year.

Economists have been and remain the most sought-after specialists in the labor market. Economists are guaranteed high wages.

To date, the profession of an economist is one of the most demanded and promising professions in the world. Economists are needed in any company, from small businesses to multinational giants. The activity of an economist is universal and mainly concerns working with numbers and vast arrays of data.

What does an economist do

What does and what does an economist do? Depending on the specialization, various responsibilities may be assigned to him, although the main task of any specialist in this industry is to collect data on the activities of the company, analyze them, as well as plan and forecast further steps. For example, labor economists calculate the size wages, planning experts draw up plans for the economic activity of the enterprise, finance specialists manage the company's budget, monitor the flows Money and keep their records, sales economists are responsible for the supply of goods, accounting experts draw up the balance sheet of the enterprise and document all financial transactions conducted by the company, the banking specialist works with securities and financial statements.

Any economist must have knowledge not only in the economic sphere, but also in legal, statistical, informational.

Without knowledge of the current legislation, it is impossible to carry out activities related to accounting for finances and their planning with high quality and without risk. Without the ability to work with statistical information and draw conclusions based on today's data, it is impossible to plan future activities, taking into account factors that can affect it. An economist must be able to think and analyze.

Development information technologies, on the one hand, greatly facilitated the work - various programs automate most of the monotonous processes, but on the other hand, an economist must have advanced skills in working with a computer and separate software. Therefore, one of the basic disciplines taught in universities is computer science.

Knowledge of English will be extremely useful in the profession of an economist.

English will not only help you get a job in a prestigious foreign company, but will also allow you to get acquainted with latest information published mainly in English-language literature. English will allow you to be in a winning position over competitors for whom learning this language has remained an insurmountable barrier.

Well, the last thing that is literally vital for any economist is a developed logical thinking. More successful in this area of ​​activity are those who are characterized by high organization, attentiveness, commitment to order, emotional stability and strict self-control.

Don't expect a high salary after graduation. Without work experience, the monthly salary is unlikely to exceed 400-500 dollars. With experience from 2 to 5 years, the salary increases significantly - from 800 to 1500 dollars. Not least is the scale of the company's activities: in international organizations, the salary is much higher.

Do not miss:

Pros and cons of being an economist

Advantages:

• a universal profession, a literate person can realize himself without problems;
• professional knowledge and skills will help in starting your own business.

Flaws:

• practice shows that working with numbers is routine and boring;
• high competition in the labor market, especially for inexperienced university graduates.

It is advisable for a yesterday's university graduate to immediately decide in which area he will move up the career ladder. There are quite a few areas: accounting, financial management, marketing, analytics and others. The diversity of economic education allows you to move from one niche to another, which contributes to career growth.

A specialist diploma allows you to start working as an ordinary economist in a small company, and in the future to take the position of a manager. The apogee of the profession is the position of managing director, who, in fact, is fully responsible for the development of the company, income level and competitiveness.

Economist is a specialist in the field of economics, an expert on economic issues. Economists are called both scientists (that is, specialists in the field of economic science) and practitioners who work in the field of research, planning and management of the economic activities of an enterprise. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in mathematics and economics (see choosing a profession for interest in school subjects).

An economist is one of the most important specialists in an enterprise. The job of an economist is correct placement priorities and goals for maximum profit with minimum loss.

Features of the profession

The duties of an economist include: conducting an economic analysis of the organization's work to improve the efficiency of its activities.

Economist:

• plans and improves the activities of the enterprise;
• participates in determining the system of remuneration and incentives for all categories of employees, calculates the organization's need for personnel;
• plans costs, use of resources, expenses and profits of the enterprise;
• exercises control over the process of performing financial and economic activities.

Pros and cons of the profession

Pros of the profession: The profession of "economist" is in high demand in the labor market. The versatility of the profession allows you to find work in any field of the economy. With special economic knowledge, you can safely open own business without risking becoming unprofitable.
Disadvantages of the profession: High responsibility: the success of the enterprise depends on the work of an economist. Quite a lot of competition in the labor market due to an overabundance of specialists. Painstaking work with numbers.

Place of work

The profession of "economist" is in demand in almost all areas:

• State institutions dealing with economic problems (Ministry of Finance, Central Bank);
• industrial and agricultural enterprises;
• educational institutions (teaching activities);
• Hotel and restaurant business;
• organizations and enterprises of small, medium and large businesses;
• financial institutions (banks, tax authorities, pension funds, insurance agencies);
• research institutes, Academy of Sciences.

Important qualities

High intellectual performance, developed logical memory, high concentration, ability to work with large amounts of information, ability to correctly state and prove one's point of view (orally and in writing), responsibility, organization, self-confidence. Active life position, propensity for research activities.

Economist training

The Interregional Academy of the Industrial and Construction Complex (MASPK) invites you to get a profession within the framework of additional education. In addition to retraining programs, the Academy offers advanced training courses in the main areas and specializations within this professional industry. Distance learning is possible.

On this course, you can get the profession of an economist in 6 months and 10,000 rubles:
— One of the most affordable prices in Russia;
— Diploma of professional retraining established sample;
– Education in a completely remote format;
— Certificate of conformity to the professional standard worth 10,000 rubles. For a present!
— The largest educational institution additional prof. education in Russia.

Salary

Salary as of 03/26/2019

Russia 25000—60000 ₽

Moscow 30000—58000 ₽

Career steps and prospects

For a novice economist, to gain extensive experience, it is better to start labor activity in a small business. Here he will quickly get acquainted with the real state of affairs in the Russian economy and organization in particular. From the first days, he will have to solve a whole range of problems, and not work in one direction. The career growth of an economist is to achieve the position of chief economist, and subsequently, the financial director, subject to a high level of development of managerial competencies.

Famous Economists

Historians consider Aristotle to be the first economist, who built theories about the exchange of goods, their cost and utility.

Bukharin Nikolai Ivanovich, Gaidar Yegor Timurovich, Gromyko Andrei Andreevich, Keynes John Maynard, Marx Karl Heinrich, Ricardo David, Smith Adam, Struve Peter Berngardovich.