The digital transformation has left businesses in a bit of a pickle when it comes to cyber security. As technology has continued to evolve, cyber threats have advanced – at an alarming rate.

As a result, the need for cyber security experts in organisations has reached an all-time high, but Houston, we have a problem: the cyber security skills gap.

Read on to find out what the cyber security skills gap is, why it's happening, and how you can help to close it.

What is the cyber security skills gap?

Simply, there's a huge gap between the skills employers want, and the level of expertise candidates have – leaving many organisations wide open to cyber threats.

A 2023 report published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, shows that a whopping 50% of all UK businesses have a basic cyber security skills gap. It then goes on to highlight that of those, the people in charge of cyber security have low confidence in performing entry-level tasks, like setting up firewalls, storing or transferring personal data, and detecting and removing malware.

The report also found that out of 160,035 cyber security job postings in the last year, 37% were tough to fill, and that there's an estimated shortfall of 11,200 people to meet the demand of the cyber workforce.

So, why are we in this situation?

Why a cyber security skills gap exists

Here are 5 reasons why businesses are experiencing a skills gap:

1. Advancing technology and threats: Current cyber security employees can't keep up with these continuous developments. Because of the skills-gap shortfall, existing employees are overworked, leaving little time for training.



2. Limited talent pool: Highly-skilled candidates are like gold dust, and businesses are competing against each other to bag the scarce talent out there. This means that salaries keep increasing, making experts unaffordable. This puts huge pressure on existing staff.




3. Lack of diversity: Women and minorities are massively underrepresented in the industry. According to the 2023 Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2023 report, of the cyber sector workforce in the UK: 17% are female, 22% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, 12% are neurodivergent, and 7% are disabled.




4. Limited training available: There's a shortage of specialist, up-to-date education and training programmes that meet the expectations of current cyber security roles.




5. High cyber security certification costs: Some businesses are put off by the fees associated with getting industry-recognised certification to boost their security posture.

How businesses can improve the cyber security skills gap

Here are 5 things you can do as an organisation to bridge the skills gap:

1. Nurture home-grown talent: Invest in people from your own company, and upskill them. With such a shortage of skills, burnout is common in today's cyber security industry. It's important to look after your workforce, or lose them to other cyber-hungry competitors.



2. Focus on in-house training: Stop hiring experts and build skills in-house. If you relax the skill requirements, you can access a much bigger pool of employees, and upskill them internally.

At the current rate of change in the cyber security world, years of training and experience are no longer vital for a successful career. What matters now, is the ability to keep up with the latest threats, and being trained, and confident in, the tools and techniques that minimise them.




3. Change the education system: Studying for generic, dated cyber security qualifications, then entering the ‘real world' with zero practical experience, is one of the biggest challenges in the industry. By offering internships and apprenticeships, you'll attract the cyber security experts of the future – ready to learn on-the-job, and develop the specialist skills that matter!




4. Support diversity and inclusion: Inviting diverse groups into cyber careers will tackle the skills shortage and broaden the talent base. It's easy to keep employing the same old people, but by doing this you'll end up with the same opinions and ideas – which is bad for business. Embrace diversity, and enjoy the varied perspectives it brings.




5. Invest in the right certifications: It's imperative to understand the cyber security risks you face as a business. Start by implementing controls (like ISO 27001), to reduce these risks. Expensive, right? Not anymore. Toolkits are now available for businesses to DIY their security certifications, affordably.

Is the cybersecurity gap one that can be closed?

The only way the skills gap can be closed is by collectively do our bit.

By inviting underrepresented groups to the talent pool, and focussing on their education and training, we can fill this gap with a tsunami of fresh cyber security specialists.

Author

Stuart Barker | Stuart is a cyber security expert known as the ISO 27001 Ninja, and author of the best-selling ISO 27001 Toolkit. He is Director at High Table, the ISO 27001 Company: https://hightable.io