There’s a major lack of qualified cybersecurity workers around
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The cybersecurity industry is facing a crisis as the skills gap in the workplace has grown by a significant margin over the past 12 months, new research shows.
In 2021, the world lacked the 2.72 million cybersecurity professionals needed to secure cybersecurity assets, but this year this has increased to 3.4 million.
(ISC)2’s 2022 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, based on a survey of just under 12,000 cybersecurity professionals, claims that the workforce gap in the cybersecurity industry has increased year-over-year by more than a quarter (26.2%) as demand continues to grow .
Pandemic industry growth
Clar Rosso, CEO of (ISC)2 claimed that part of the problem is that cybersecurity is moving past the workforce slowdown/pause in 2020 and 2021: the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While we saw the gap narrowing during the height of the pandemic, most countries are well advanced in their post-pandemic recovery and are continuing the digital transformation of a variety of back office and public functions,” he said.
“As a result, recruitment and expansion of the workforce has recovered in a number of sectors following the pandemic, including cybersecurity (opens in new tab)driving both the growth of the active workforce and the growth of the unmet demand for cybersecurity professionals.”
“It’s also encouraging, as the gap shows organizations are more aware of the value of cybersecurity within their operations.”
The report also found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of organizations expect their team to grow somewhat or significantly over the next year. This is in line with the general trend of growth in recruitment (11%).
“The fact that the workforce grew by 11%, about 464,000, is cause for celebration. Adding nearly half a million people to the active workforce is a significant investment in cybersecurity and defense,” continued Rosso.
While the lack of qualified personnel is the main cause of the workforce gap (43%), it is by no means the only problem. (ISC)2 also mentioned companies that struggle to keep up with sales, low wages, lack of budget, lack of promotion opportunities, insufficient training, burnout, work culture and conditions – including remote working – all play a major role .
Through: Info Security (opens in new tab)