Cyber Skills Gap: A Growing Concern
In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is more important than ever. However, a recent study by the UK Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has revealed some alarming statistics. Around half of UK businesses have skills gaps in basic technical cybersecurity areas, while 27% have gaps in advanced skills like penetration testing. Incident management skills gaps have also increased significantly from 27% in 2020 to 48% in 2024.
The report titled Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market 2024 sheds light on the evolving cyber skills landscape. Despite a growing supply of skills, demand has somewhat cooled due to macroeconomic factors and recruitment freezes in the digital sector. Nevertheless, the infamous ‘gap’ remains.
One concerning finding is that almost half of businesses (48%) are not confident in dealing with cyber security breaches or attacks, especially those that do not outsource incident management. This lack of confidence has been on the rise, from 27% in 2020.
The Impact of AI on Cyber Skills
As technology continues to advance, employers and recruiters believe that AI will play a significant role in shaping the future of cyber skills. The report highlights four potential changes that AI will bring to the cyber skills landscape:
- Increasing automation of cyber tasks, potentially leading to job losses.
- The need for skills to understand and utilize AI tools effectively.
- Roles evolving into ‘AI cyber’ rather than just ‘cyber’.
- The emergence of deep specialisms like ‘cyber security machine learning’.
While AI brings opportunities for enhanced cybersecurity, DSIT warns of risks in relying on these tools if they are not properly understood or managed.
Diversity Challenges in the Cyber Workforce
Despite efforts to promote diversity in the workforce, the cyber sector still faces challenges. The report found that women represent only 17% of the cyber workforce, lower than the UK and digital workforce averages. Additionally, only 6% of the cyber workforce are disabled, highlighting a lack of diversity in this area.
Recruitment efforts targeting diverse applicants have been limited, with only 42% of cyber firms taking action in this regard. The gender gap in cyber security courses also remains wide, with only 14% of female graduates at the undergraduate level.
In conclusion, addressing the cyber skills gap and promoting diversity in the sector are crucial for a resilient and inclusive cybersecurity workforce. As technology continues to evolve, it is essential for businesses to invest in upskilling their employees and embracing diverse talent to tackle the ever-evolving challenges of the digital world.