They may study areas such as how the dollar's fluctuation against foreign currencies affects import and export levels. The majority of government economists work in the area of agriculture, labor, or quantitative analysis, and some economists work in almost every area of government. For example, economists in the U.S. Department of Commerce study domestic production, distribution, and consumption of commodities or services, while economists employed with the Bureau of Labor Statistics analyze data on prices, wages, employment, productivity, and safety and health. An economist working in State or local government might analyze data on trade and commerce, industrial growth, and employment and unemployment rates in order to project employment trends. Marketing Research Analysts.
M arketing research analysts are concerned with the potential sales of a product or service.
They analyze statistical data on past sales to predict future sales. They gather data on competitors and analyze prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. Like economists, marketing research analysts devise methods and procedures for obtaining the data they need. They often design telephone, personal, or mail interview surveys to assess consumer preferences. The surveys usually are conducted by trained interviewers under the marketing research analyst's direction.