Cyber security, which has become eminently strategic to address the rise in cyber attacks, suffers from a shortage of nearly 3 million professionals. BCG’s latest report produced in collaboration with the Global Cybersecurity Forum.
“Today, 7.1 million people work in the field of cybersecurity worldwide. However, 2.8 million positions still remain vacant, representing a vacancy rate of 28%. list the authors.
Several reasons explain this lack. Above all, the lack of expertise among candidates (64%), increased competition and the attractiveness of offers from competing companies (47%), but also the low level of diversity in the profession. For example, women make up only 24% of the cybersecurity workforce.
As a result, 59% of cybersecurity leaders see this talent shortage as one of the biggest obstacles to their organization’s security. “43% of CISOs say their teams don’t have the required skills“. However, simply increasing the number of employees does not guarantee an improvement in the quality of safety.
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Even worse,”As technological progress accelerates, so does the demand for new specialized skills.“. Cybersecurity leadership is one of the most difficult gaps to close, with 50% of organizations citing this need as their top challenge, both today and in the next five years. Network security and security architecture skills are also in high demand.
AI is a complementary tool, but not a solution
“70% of organizations are already integrating AI into their security operations to detect anomalies and prevent attacks“. However, nearly six in ten cybersecurity leaders express concern about new forms of cyberattacks, including those related to AI. These include deepfakes to impersonate a manager in order to issue a transfer order, or highly personalized and realistic messages aimed at obtaining sensitive information. Hence the need for human control.
A skilled workforce is the foundation of the new powers
Asia Pacific is home to the largest number of cybersecurity professionals with nearly 3 million employees. America follows with 2.4 million, while Europe lags behind with one million fewer professionals. As for Africa, it only has 297,667 cyber security professionals.
The talent shortage is particularly acute in Asia Pacific, where there are 1.6 million vacancies, followed by the Americas (567,000 vacancies) and Europe (462,348 vacancies).
The United States has the largest labor pool in the world, making it a lever of unrivaled attractiveness: 70% of the global headquarters of cyber security players are located there. China is also investing heavily in advanced technology and is nipping at the heels of the United States. India, for its part, is emerging as a rising power that is gradually acquiring skills in this area. Two sectors dominate cybersecurity: technology (19%) and financial services (18%).
What solutions can be found to correct the deficiency?
In response to the challenges, the authors of the report propose several procedures:
– Raise awareness and promote inclusion: focus on underrepresented subgroups, especially women and minorities, and create scholarships and partnerships with educational institutions.
– Educate from an early age: integrate cyber security in primary and secondary school to promote careers and acquire skills.
– Facilitate internal promotion: support the career development of professionals working in the field of cyber security.
– Implement promotional campaigns: work with governments to position cyber security as a strategic and attractive industry.
– Create attractive career plans: offer a motivating work environment supported by clear opportunities for advancement.
– Develop a culture of continuous learning: deploy digital platforms and micro-credentials to meet evolving needs.
– Identify the necessary key skills: clearly define the skills needed to meet the challenges of cyber security.
“The cost of inaction will be measured not only in financial losses, but also in the erosion of trust in the digital systems that underpin our global economy.” warns the authors.