Worldwide cybersecurity labour shortage worsens despite new hiring

A new survey has revealed that the number of unfulfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide rose 26.2 per cent last year to 3.4 million. The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) report showed that, despite hundreds of thousands of new workers being trained and hired, the labour shortage in cybersecurity is worsening.

The report polled 11,799 cybersecurity professionals and showed that the total workforce for security personnel globally rose 11.1 per cent in 2021 to 4.6 million people, due to growing demand for security services amid rising cyberattacks worldwide.

However, demand for talent has continued to outstrip supply, leading to a sharp increase in unfulfilled roles globally. In the US, there were 410,695 unfulfilled roles (up 9 per cent), while the shortage was most acute in Asia/Pacific, with 2.1 million unfulfilled roles, an increase of 52.4 per cent.

Speaking to CRN, ISC2 Chief Executive Char Rosso said: “The findings show that we are in dire need of cybersecurity professionals to enter the field. Although we have added 464,000 cybersecurity professionals to the field this year alone – the workforce gap continues to grow as organizations realize the strategic importance of building their cybersecurity capabilities.”

Rosso stated that there was a growing need for “entry- and junior-level team members with broad foundational skills across many areas” and added: “Specifically, we have seen that cloud security skills and experience are in high demand. Our CCSP certification is one of our most popular certifications, and it is designed for individuals wanting to advance in cloud security and architecture.”

Rosso suggested that the gap could be closed if companies broadened their search for new talent, saying: “To make significant inroads into decreasing the cybersecurity workforce gap, we need to recruit individuals from non-traditional backgrounds and remove economic and experience barriers that may be artificially limiting the growth or recruitment of the profession."

“Specifically, we need to bring greater diversity into the profession to solve the complex challenges within our industry.”