The cybersecurity industry is facing a crisis as the skills gap in the workplace has widened in the last 12 months, new research shows.
In 2021, the world lacked 2.72 million cybersecurity professionals needed to secure cybersecurity assets, but this year this number has risen to 3.4 million.
The (ISC) 2 2022 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, based on a survey of nearly 12,000 cybersecurity professionals, says the cybersecurity industry workforce gap increased by more than a quarter (26.2%) year-on-year as demand continued to grow grows.
Development of the pandemic industry
Chief Executive Officer (ISC) 2, Clar Rosso, argued that part of the problem is that cybersecurity is passing a hiring slow / pause that occurred in 2020 and 2021: the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While we’ve seen the gap narrow at the height of a pandemic, most countries are well advanced in pandemic recovery and are continuing to digitally transform their various office and public facilities,” he said.
“Employment and workforce growth have rebounded in many sectors after the pandemic, including cybersecurity (opens in a new tab)ensuring both the growth of the active workforce and the unmet demand for cybersecurity practitioners ”.
“It’s also encouraging as the gap demonstrates an organization’s increased awareness of the value of cybersecurity in their operations.”
The report also found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of organizations expect their team to grow slightly or significantly over the next year. This is in line with the overall trend of employment growth (11%).
“The fact that the workforce has grown by 11%, around 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 a skilled labor force is the main cause of the employment gap (43%), it is not the only problem. (ISC) 2 also cites that the main role is played by companies that have difficulty in keeping up with rotation, low wages, lack of budget, lack of promotion opportunities, insufficient training, professional burnout, culture and working conditions – including remote work.
By: Information Safety (opens in a new tab)