Talent shortage in cyberspace - can more inclusive cyber education close the skills gap?

Between April 2021 and April 2022 there were reportedly 427,000 cyber attacks in the UK, costing £3.1b¹. Lockdown, and the associated boom in online shopping, created new opportunities for cybercrime as small online retailers – whose cyber defences and procedures are often not as robust as their larger counterparts – became large enough to interest cyber criminals. In late 2021 a report by Hays Technology, based on interviews with 110 senior cyber leaders and professionals, found that 65% had experienced an increase in attacks during the pandemic with only 19% expecting this to reduce as Covid-19 subsides². Ransomware and phishing were the biggest concerns, with 34% of businesses attacked suffering disruption as a result.

The demand for people with cyber skills is growing so rapidly that it far outstrips supply. Most IT directors prefer to keep cyber security in-house rather than outsourcing it to third party specialists. Typically, these in-house cyber security teams are very small, comprising just one or two people, often with a wider IT role. In May 2022, DCMS reported on cyber security skills in the labour market³, finding that 51% of businesses have a gap in basic cyber skills, 33% in advanced skills, and 37% in incident response, with the latter category growing noticeably. Job postings increased by 58% year on year with a steady rise in vacancies reported as ‘hard to fill’. This creates a real need for firms both to upskill their own people and to widen their recruitment talent pool.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to attract people to work in cyber although, in fact, cyber careers cover a far wider range than people recognise. You don’t have to be a programmer to specialise in cyber security; a huge range of skills – particularly around human interaction with cyber – are in demand. The UKCSC has identified no fewer than 16 career pathways in cyber⁴, ranging from testing and monitoring through to incident response and cyber management. Similarly, the DCMS report notes that the fastest-growing skills gap is in ‘complementary skills’, particularly in communications, leadership or marketing. In other words, the ability to communicate and manage is increasingly in demand in the cyber sphere.