New research from Product Focus has revealed over one million people across the world are working in product management roles. The research, which was conducted using LinkedIn in July 2021, highlights the wide range of countries and industries where product managers work, and Product Focus have created a helpful infographic to showcase the findings of the study in more detail.
One of the key takeaways from the research is the discovery that the UK has the highest number of Product Managers in Europe, with 59,000. Germany is close behind with 47,000 and France comes third with 30,000. In fact, the researchers found that there are around the same number of Product Managers in North America as in the whole of Europe. Although perhaps unsurprisingly California, home of Silicon Valley, has the highest number of product managers in the US. The infographic highlights the global reach of Product Focus Certified Product Managers, with delegates as far reaching as China, Australia and New Zealand.
When breaking down the data by industry, it becomes clear that IT Services has the highest number of product management professionals with 29% or 300,000. This cements the importance of stellar product managers for technology-based products. Retail & Consumer and Manufacturing & Engineering both have around 120,000 product managers, or 12% each globally.
Founding Director of Product Focus, Ian Lunn is an industry leader with over 25 years’ experience in product management roles. He started Product Focus in 2006, with fellow Director Andrew Dickenson, to help companies achieve high-quality product management, through teaching the skills and providing the tools they need to excel. The team works with a wide range of companies, from start-ups to huge multinationals, delivering online and face-to-face training courses across the world.
On the research findings, Ian said “We were surprised to find that there are over one million people involved in product management across the world, although we suspect this to be even higher as not everyone is on LinkedIn. We are also proud to see Product Focus Certified Product Managers in countries such as India, China and Brazil.”
“Product managers have a unique role which circumnavigates every area of the business, working to launch products that customers value and that are profitable for the company. Effective product management is the lynchpin of a product’s success. The fact there are more than one million product managers working across the globe highlights the importance of having the correct support and training in place for product managers.”
