Businesses at risk as cyber security skills shortage in UK at crisis point

Information Age is reporting that research has revealed that the number of cyber security roles advertised in the UK was the third highest in the world, but that employer demand exceeded candidate supply by more than three times.

…The number of cyber security job searches in Britain reached just 31.6% of the number of jobs posted, giving the UK a skills gap second only to that of Israel…

The increasing threat posed by hackers and cyber criminals led the number of cyber security job vacancies in Britain to rise by nearly a third (31.9%) between 2014 and 2016, but candidate numbers have failed to keep pace…As a result Britain’s cyber security skills gap has grown by 5% in two years, a tally exceeded only by Brazil and Canada…

Mariano Mamertino, EMEA economist at the global job site, Indeed, commented on the findings and stated that “2016 saw a spate of big corporations – and even the US electoral process – suffer high-profile data breaches”.“But beyond the headlines, cyber crime is a threat to organisations of all sizes. As cyber attacks increase in scale and sophistication, British employers are racing to recruit staff with the skills and experience needed to protect their vital data.”

“Sadly the supply of skilled workers isn’t keeping up with employer demand, and Britain’s cyber security skills gap – already the second worst in the world – is getting worse.”

“The problem is fast approaching crisis point and British businesses will inevitably be put at risk if they can’t find the expertise they need to mitigate the threat. This should serve as a wake-up call to Britain’s tech sector – it must pull together to upskill and attract more people into cyber security roles.”

Read more at Britain’s cyber security gap…it’s bad

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