An ongoing shortage of qualified workers in the information security space is becoming even more acute, as a new report from (ICS)2 shows the industry needs to grow by about 3.4 million workers to close the global workforce gap.
The global cyber workforce has reached an all-time high of 4.7 million workers this year and added a total of 464,000 workers to the profession worldwide over last year, according to the 2022 (ICS)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, done in collaboration with Forrester Research. The research was based on a survey of almost 12,000 people in charge of their cybersecurity programs. It was conducted in May and June.
Even with the considerable number of new hires, the increased rise in malicious attacks against organizations has left the industry with millions of job openings.
About 70% of respondents said their organizations don’t have enough cybersecurity employees. More than half of respondents at organizations with workforce shortages said they are at moderate or extreme risk of a cyberattack.
“Organizations unquestionably need more cybersecurity professionals to join their security teams due to the significant threats and number of high-profile security breaches they are facing,” Clar Rosso, CEO of (ICS)2, said via email.
The report shows how a years-long shortage of qualified cybersecurity workers has been made even worse by a series of troubling developments in the worldwide labor market and the information security space.
Almost three-quarters of respondents said they expect their cybersecurity staff to increase somewhat or significantly over the next 12 months, which is the highest rate in recent years. That figure was only 53% in 2021 and 41% in 2020.
The report shows the best ways to address the gap include training internal talent, rotating job assignments, utilizing mentorship programs and training workers from outside the IT or security space.
In the U.S. the cybersecurity labor shortage has been a priority among the highest levels of government and industry. The White House in July held a summit to address the industry’s labor shortage, announcing a 120-day apprenticeship sprint.
