UK cyber workforce grows 12% but there's still a 73% shortfall, report
The cyber security profession is booming, but not as fast as the need finds (ICS)2 study
The latest annual Cybersecurity Workforce Study by (ISC)2, the non-profit association of certified cyber security professionals, found that the there are more people around the world working in cyber than ever before (4.7 million), with that number growing by 11.1% year-on-year.
Nevertheless, despite the addition 464,000 more cyber security professionals in the last year, the gap between supply and demand has grown more than twice as much as the increase in the workforce.
The global cyber security workforce gap, demand minus supply, was estimated at 3,432,476 - 26.2% more than last year.
In the UK, an estimated 339,145 people work in cyber, an increase of 12% compared with 2021, according to the study, which derives its figures from a mixture of surveys, government statistics, third-party estimates and trend analysis.
However, the UK cyber security workforce gap is 55,811 people, or 74.1%, way above the global average but below France (120.6%) and India (630%).
A majority of people working in cyber say this shortage is causing problems for themselves and their organisations, including a lack of sufficient time and resources to properly assess risks, give oversight to processes and procedures, and patch critical systems.
As a result of the shortfall, organisations are offering more perks, the most popular being remote and flexible working and training. Those with the most severe shortfalls are turning disproportionately to automation and outsourced help.
A more diverse cyber workforce
Companies are also looking to attract a move diverse workforce, with mixed results around the world.
Nigeria, Mexico and Ireland are the most gender-diverse, with around a third of their cyber workforces being women, while Japan, Germany and the US are the least, at around 10%-13%. In the UK, 16% of cyber security professionals are female, according to the study.
(ISC)2 also looked at the racial and ethnic differences among cybersecurity professionals in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. It found that while cyber security has historically been dominated by white men, who still comprise nearly 70% of the older respondents to the survey, among under 30s the was much a much greater mix of both races and genders.
However, at the same time, the study identifies an increasing gap between senior cyber security professionals and their more junior colleagues.
"Cultural divides between junior and senior employees are widening, especially when it comes to the perceptions of diversity, equity and inclusion," it notes.
Overall, job satisfaction among cyber security professionals is high, although significant numbers report leaving the profession because of negative culture, burnout and poor work/life balance.
The study surveyed 11,779 cyber security professionals around the world.