Quant Skills Index
The skills quant firms are hiring for
Measured demand, momentum and advertised pay across the current vacancy book.
Live vacancies scanned
1,457
20 skills tracked across 21 employers.
Which skills do quant firms hire for, and which are growing?
Across 1,457 live vacancies at 21 quant employers, the most requested skills are Python (866 vacancies), Machine learning (454 vacancies), Linux (360 vacancies). Over the last 30 days the fastest growing are Java (+43.5%), Cloud infrastructure (+15.6%), CUDA / GPU (+12.5%). A mention means the employer asked for the skill in writing, so these are counts rather than estimates.
Skills tracked
20
Matched by published term lists
Live vacancies scanned
1,457
21 employers
Core quant vacancies
749
Used for the quant-lift figure
With advertised pay
248
Basis of every pay column
Tracked hiring book: 1,457 live vacancies across 21 employers, last confirmed 31 October 2026. Each vacancy is verified first-party and classified by a published rule set you can inspect.
Most requested skills
Live vacancies that ask for each skill in writing, in the selected category.
Vacancies mentioning the skill. Sample: 1,457 live vacancies across 21 employers. Every vacancy is verified first-party and classified by a published rule set you can inspect.
Skill momentum, last 30 days
Change against the equivalent window before it. Only skills with at least 25 mentions and a publishable comparison base.
30-day change in mentions. Sample: 1,457 live vacancies across 21 employers. Every vacancy is verified first-party and classified by a published rule set you can inspect.
| Python | 866 |
|---|---|
| Machine learning | 454 |
| Linux | 360 |
| C++ | 350 |
| Low latency | 319 |
| SQL | 306 |
| Networking | 251 |
| Statistics | 196 |
| Distributed systems | 174 |
| Market microstructure | 163 |
| Java | 156 |
| Cloud infrastructure | 141 |
Skill table
Change compares postings in the selected window against the equivalent window before it, and is only published where that earlier window held at least five postings. Pay columns are medians of the ranges employers advertised on vacancies mentioning the skill.
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Pay data
20 skills
| Skill | Vacancies | Last 30d | 30d change | Top role families | Advertised pay | Quant signal | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PythonLanguage | 866 | 134 | ▼ -3.6% |
| $150k – $225kn=139, 11 firms | 210.52× | High confidencen=866 |
| Machine learningQuantitative | 454 | 70 | ▼ -11.4% |
| $158k – $248kn=64, 8 firms | 330.82× | High confidencen=454 |
| LinuxSystems | 360 | 55 | ▼ -5.2% |
| $150k – $225kn=60, 10 firms | 80.20× | High confidencen=360 |
| C++Language | 350 | 39 | ▼ -11.4% |
| $175k – $225kn=51, 8 firms | 380.95× | High confidencen=350 |
| Low latencySystems | 319 | 47 | ▼ -11.3% |
| $175k – $225kn=61, 7 firms | 240.60× | High confidencen=319 |
| SQLData | 306 | 63 | - -1.6% |
| $150k – $200kn=55, 9 firms | 90.23× | High confidencen=306 |
| NetworkingSystems | 251 | 45 | ▲ +2.3% |
| $175k – $250kn=44, 8 firms | 50.13× | High confidencen=251 |
| StatisticsQuantitative | 196 | 31 | - 0% |
| $150k – $225kn=31, 6 firms | 761.91× | High confidencen=196 |
| Distributed systemsSystems | 174 | 46 | ▲ +4.5% |
| $163k – $245kn=30, 5 firms | 50.13× | High confidencen=174 |
| Market microstructureQuantitative | 163 | 18 | ▼ -30.8% |
| $150k – $200kn=17, 7 firms | 681.71× | High confidencen=163 |
| JavaLanguage | 156 | 33 | ▲ +43.5% |
| $170k – $220kn=21, 7 firms | 130.33× | High confidencen=156 |
| Cloud infrastructureSystems | 141 | 37 | ▲ +15.6% |
| $160k – $200kn=25, 6 firms | 60.14× | High confidencen=141 |
| FPGAHardware | 118 | 17 | ▼ -37% |
| $150k – $225kn=31, 2 firms | 330.83× | Medium confidencen=118 |
| Time-series modellingQuantitative | 109 | 17 | ▼ -29.2% |
| $175k – $250kn=21, 5 firms | 541.34× | Medium confidencen=109 |
| Deep learningQuantitative | 78 | 5 | ▼ -58.3% |
| $200k – $275kn=12, 5 firms | 962.41× | Medium confidencen=78 |
| RustLanguage | 59 | 7 | ▼ -41.7% |
| $180k – $250kn=17, 4 firms | 100.24× | Medium confidencen=59 |
| CUDA / GPUHardware | 58 | 9 | ▲ +12.5% |
| $200k – $300kn=10, 4 firms | 350.88× | Medium confidencen=58 |
| ProbabilityQuantitative | 48 | 4 | ▼ -60% |
| $225k – $275kn=9, 3 firms | 1002.84× | Medium confidencen=48 |
| KDB+/qData | 24 | 2 | insufficient |
| Not advertised | 190.47× | Early signaln=24 |
| Stochastic calculusQuantitative | 11 | 2 | insufficient |
| $150k – $250kn=3, 1 firms | 1004.25× | Early signaln=11 |
Most quant-specific skills
Skills that separate quant hiring from ordinary engineering hiring at the same firms. How the signal score works.
- Probability2.84×
36 of 749 quant vacancies · 11 firms
Medium confidencen=48 - Deep learning2.41×
56 of 749 quant vacancies · 14 firms
Medium confidencen=78 - Statistics1.91×
131 of 749 quant vacancies · 19 firms
High confidencen=196 - Market microstructure1.71×
105 of 749 quant vacancies · 14 firms
High confidencen=163 - Time-series modelling1.34×
64 of 749 quant vacancies · 19 firms
Medium confidencen=109 - C++0.95×
175 of 749 quant vacancies · 19 firms
High confidencen=350
Method: each live vacancy description is matched against a published list of terms per skill. A mention means the employer asked for it in writing - not that we inferred it. Terms and thresholds are fixed in advance and applied identically to every posting, so the same vacancy always produces the same result. Full documentation in data and methodology.
Skill demand
Demand measured, not guessed
Each skill is counted from live adverts, with the sample size shown beside it.