A growing cybersecurity workforce gap could spell trouble for companies, a new report by Atlas VPN and (ISC)² finds. The survey reveals that the global cybersecurity industry faced a talent shortage of 3.12 million in 2020, clearly signaling why the ranks of cybersecurity professionals need to grow.
2020 has been marked by waves of disruption, especially in the cybersecurity space. Publicly disclosed data breaches rose by 41% in the first quarter of 2020Opens a new window , McAfee report Opens a new window found. Phishing threats increased by 220%Opens a new window , while malware incidents surged by 13%Opens a new window .
It’s a tough balancing act for cybersecurity professionals who have been putting out fires throughout the year. And with cybercrime at an all-time high, talent shortage can harm companies and their bottom lines.
A new studyOpens a new window by the Atlas VPN and (ISC)² team, an international nonprofit association that polled over 3,500 cybersecurity professionals, found that the global cybersecurity industry faced a workforce gap of 3.12 million in 2020. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. faced the biggest talent shortage this year with over 359,000 jobs unfilled.
The conversation around the skills shortage and closing the massive workforce gap is nothing new. And in the cyber world, toolsets aren’t enough to secure systems. IT professionals with updated skills are crucial for managing the processes.
On top of that, the global pandemic exposed some hard truths about the state of cybersecurity. The shift to large-scale remote work strained the security posture of organizations. Around 30% of respondents said their organizations shifted to a remote work environment in a single day. Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of cloud services, now a critical component for most organizations, has significantly expanded the attack surface.
In addition, 7% of respondents said COVID-19 led to layoffs, and 16% said they knew about a peer who lost a job. Despite the economic slowdown and employers shedding jobs, the cybersecurity workforce gap shrank for the first time by approximately 22.5%, from 4 million last year to 3.12 million in 2020. Per the 2020 Cybersecurity Workforce studyOpens a new window , the talent pool is increasing, and organizations have made significant strides in narrowing the cybersecurity skills gap.
However, the demand continues to outstrip the supply. The study reveals there is a strong need to “incentivize people to take up cybersecurity as their career.â€
Here’s a look at the workforce gap by the region:Â Â
- The U.S. topped the list with the highest cybersecurity workforce gap (359,236 jobs unfilled). The U.S. also has the highest number of cybersecurity professionals (879,157).
- APAC has the biggest cybersecurity workforce gap with 2.04 million job openings in cybersecurity. This data excludes India and China due to limited information. Australia needs 27,192 employees to fill available job positions.
- Latin America region constitutes 17% of the global workforce gap and has around 527,000 job offers unfilled, while Mexico needs 96,594 cybersecurity experts.
See Also: Younger Security Pros Fear Losing Jobs to Automation: Exabeam
Training & Certifications: The Answer to the Growing Cybersecurity Workforce Gap
Atlas VPN outlined some of the essential skills to transition successfully into the cybersecurity field. Besides general knowledge of computers, internal networks, and information systems, professionals ought to have:
Programming: Atlas VPN deems programming and scripting knowledge a ‘necessity.’ For instance, Python is the go-to language for information security experts.
Certifications: 70% of cybersecurity employees in the U.S. are required to have certification. Worldwide, the number rises to 78%. Some of the in-demand certifications are CISSP and CCNA Security. These certifications impart specialized knowledge required for the field and help the candidate a foot in the door.
Experience: Practical, on-field industry experience is perhaps the most valuable aspect of cybersecurity professionals. Atlas VPN suggests working on open source projects or contributing to the current organization’s security.
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