This article includes excerpts from various reports that provide statistics and insights on cybersecurity jobs, skills shortages, and workforce dynamics.
Lack of skills and budget slow zero-trust implementation
Entrust | 2024 State of Zero Trust & Encryption Study | May 2024
- Despite 60% of organizations reporting significant senior leadership support for zero trust, a lack of skills and budget are still cited as the biggest roadblocks to implementing these frameworks, highlighting a discrepancy between support and resource allocation.
Worried about job security, cyber teams hide security incidents
VikingCloud | The 2024 Threat Landscape Report: Cyber Risks, Opportunities, & Resilience | May 2024
- Only 10% of companies have increased cyber hiring in the past 12 months, and nearly 20% of companies say a lack of qualified talent is a key challenge to overcoming cyberattacks.
- 35% of companies don’t have enough budget to invest in new tech and 32% don’t have enough budget to hire more staff.
CEOs accelerate GenAI adoption despite workforce resistance
IBM | IBM Study | May 2024
- 51% of CEOs surveyed say they are hiring for generative AI roles that did not exist last year, while 47% expect to reduce or redeploy their workforce in the next 12 months because of generative AI.
- 40% of CEOs surveyed plan to hire additional staff because of generative AI, yet 53% of respondents say they are already struggling to fill key technology roles.
The IT skills shortage situation is not expected to get any better
IDC | Enterprise Resilience: IT Skilling Strategies, 2024 | May 2024
- IDC predicts that by 2026, more than 90% of organizations worldwide will feel the pain of the IT skills crisis, amounting to some $5.5 trillion in losses caused by product delays, impaired competitiveness, and loss of business.
GenAI enables cybersecurity leaders to hire more entry-level talent
Splunk | State of Security 2024: The Race to Harness AI | May 2024
- 86% of cybersecurity leaders say GenAI can enable them to hire more entry-level talent to fill the skills gap, and 58% say onboarding entry-level talent will be quicker thanks to GenAI.
- 90% of security executives believe entry-level talent can lean on GenAI to develop their skills in the Security Operations Center (SOC), and 65% believe the technology will help seasoned cybersecurity professionals become more productive.
How workforce reductions affect cybersecurity postures
Cobalt | 2024 State of Pentesting Report | May 2024
- 31% of respondents said their organization conducted layoffs during the past six months, and ⅓ of those agree their organization faces greater cyber risk due to those departures.
- If not addressed, cybersecurity teams are looking at further losses, as 29% of those who have been impacted by layoffs/resignations say that they currently want to quit their jobs.
Women rising in cybersecurity roles, but roadblocks remain
ISC2 | Women in Cybersecurity | April 2024
- With the average representation of women on cybersecurity teams at 23%, attracting and retaining more diverse individuals is essential to address the global cyber workforce gap of 4 million individuals.
- By 2025, research predicts that women will represent 30% of the global cybersecurity workforce, increasing to 35% by 2031.
- Women reported lower cybersecurity staffing shortages at their organizations than male participants (62% vs. 68%), with their organizations sourcing talent from other departments, implementing job rotations, and hiring those without cyber experience at higher rates.
Closing the cybersecurity skills gap with upskilling programs
Pluralsight | 2024 Technical Skills Report | April 2024
- 65% of respondents said cybersecurity skills were lacking most within their organizations, followed by cloud (52%) and software development (40%). Cybersecurity skills were cited as the most important to learn in the next year (63%), followed by cloud (47%), and software development (45%).
- The average cost of hiring new tech talent in the US is more than $23,000 and takes 10 weeks. According to respondents, 57% of organizations spend only $5,000 per employee on upskilling.
31% of women in tech consider switching roles over the next year
Skillsoft | Women in Tech Report | April 2024
- Only 27% of women in tech report being extremely satisfied with their jobs, and 37% are considering switching roles in the next year.
- 36% of women in tech say they have improved skills in a tech-related area by earning certifications.
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