Top 5 Most In-Demand Business Analyst Skills in IT Right Now

Demand for Business Analysts in the IT field continues to grow as organisations work to transform digitally, improve customer experiences and extract value from data.

Hiring teams and talent strategists are increasingly focused on securing candidates who not only understand business needs but can translate them into workable technology solutions. In a competitive market for skilled analysts, knowing which capabilities truly matter helps hiring managers craft better job descriptions, assess talent more effectively, and build teams that can deliver meaningful outcomes.

1. Strong Requirements Gathering and Documentation

The ability to understand, elicit, and document requirements remains the foundational skill for Business Analysts in IT. At its core, this skill enables analysts to bridge the gap between business stakeholders and technical teams. An analysis of BA demand highlights that organisations increasingly value candidates who can ask insightful questions, unpack complex processes, and record detailed, clear requirements that development teams can act on. This ensures that IT solutions align with business needs and reduces costly rework later in delivery.

“A business analyst bridges the gap between business needs and technological solutions. With the ability to analyze data, identify inefficiencies, and recommend actionable improvements, BAs have become essential in driving profitability and performance.” – H2K Infosys

2. Data Literacy and Analytical Thinking

Business Analysts in IT are expected to work with data as much as with stakeholders. Today’s analysts need to interpret data, generate insights, and validate assumptions using quantitative evidence. This means knowing how to query data sources, interpret dashboards and use data to inform recommendations. A report on analytics and business roles confirms that data literacy is a top skill employers seek in BAs, reflecting how data-driven decision making has moved from an advantage to a necessity.

3. Technical Fluency

Although Business Analysts are not typically required to be software developers, they must be technically fluent enough to understand architecture, development constraints and integration challenges. This includes familiarity with APIs, cloud platforms, DevOps practices, and the software development lifecycle.

IT leaders increasingly emphasise this skill because it allows BAs to communicate effectively with engineers, anticipate technical trade-offs, and help ensure that solutions are not only desirable but feasible and scalable. In industry commentary, employers note that BAs who can “speak tech” reduce friction between business and delivery teams and accelerate project timelines.

4. Change Management and Stakeholder Engagement

Business Analysts frequently act as the connective tissue across departments. They manage expectations, navigate conflicting priorities and help business users adapt to new processes or systems. For IT transformations to succeed, BAs must be skilled at stakeholder engagement, influence without authority, and facilitating collaboration.

Organisations with strong stakeholder alignment and engagement, often led by Bas, were much more likely to achieve project success. This makes change management skills particularly valuable because they ensure adoption and value realisation beyond delivery.

“Better communication, as a result of good stakeholder engagement, leads to smoother project execution, fewer conflicts, and a higher chance of achieving project goals.” – Tigernix

5. Agile and Adaptive Delivery Mindset

The way software is delivered has shifted dramatically over the last decade, with agile methodologies now the dominant delivery model in IT. Business Analysts are expected to understand agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban, contribute to backlog refinement, and support iterative delivery cycles.

More than ever, organisations value BAs who can adapt to changing priorities, break down work into incremental value slices, and work closely with product owners and delivery teams to ensure outcomes are continuously delivered and validated. In 2026, agile fluency, including facilitation of agile ceremonies and iterative requirement refinement, is routinely listed in IT BA job descriptions.

What This Means for Hiring and Resourcing

From a hiring and resourcing perspective, these top skills illustrate how the role of the Business Analyst in IT has evolved beyond simply documenting business needs. Today’s most in-demand BAs combine deep analytical capabilities, technical fluency, and strong interpersonal acumen. For recruiters, this means expanding candidate assessments to evaluate not only traditional business analysis experience but also data literacy, understanding of technical ecosystems, and proven ability to drive engagement across diverse stakeholder groups.

Organisations that align hiring strategies with these market-driven skills are more likely to build BA teams that contribute directly to strategic outcomes rather than just facilitating requirements. In a competitive talent landscape, prioritising these capabilities in job descriptions, interview frameworks and career development pathways helps ensure a strong pipeline of talent that can support sustainable digital value delivery.