Data Literacy Skills: Industry Perspectives and Professional Practice

abstract: Recent discourse and research in academic and business settings emphasize the growing importance of improving data and information literacy in both settings. This exploratory study examines the relevance of a set of proposed baseline business data literacy competencies for the workplace, developed by librarians for undergraduates. The authors conducted an online survey of 164 professionals within the supply chain and logistics industry to assess the alignment of these competencies with professional data literacy practices. The survey addresses respondents' self-perception of data literacy skills and asks how the data literacy competencies are reflected in individuals' daily work. The findings suggest that the data literacy skills presented to respondents are highly valued across various job categories and experience levels. Moreover, there is an observed alignment between the data literacy competencies and real-world workplace practices, particularly when considering non-technical skills. The discussion contextualizes these findings within broader librarian work in the data literacy ecosystem.