The cybersecurity industry is having trouble recruiting millennials, a factor which will contribute to a widening skills gap in the next three years, according to a study from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education.
By 2020, the study says, the shortage of cybersecurity professionals could widen to 1.8 million workers.
And it’s not just millenials: the industry is having trouble finding talent across generations.
CRN summarizes the report:
The deficit of cybersecurity professionals is now expected to grow to more than 1.8 million workers globally by 2022, according to the Global Information Security Workforce Study, sponsored by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and surveying over 19,000 cybersecurity professionals. That is a 20 percent increase over what the same study predicted two years ago.
The study also noted that the security industry seems to have a challenge recruiting millennial workers in particular, with only 12 percent of the workforce under 35.
[…]
Many security solution providers cite the security talent shortage as one of the greatest challenges facing their businesses today. Global Managing Director of Accenture Security Kelly Bissell said there simply isn’t enough talent to go around in the security industry.
As the current generation of cybersecurity pros age, millenials will be key in narrowing the skills gap. But that’s a tall order, because less than one in eight cybersecurity professionals are currently millenials.
How is the industry dealing? Some firms are investing more in training and developing talent; others are working with local colleges to put cybersecurity on the curriculum.
From CRN:
[Global Managing Director of Accenture Security Kelly] Bissell said the gap is so large that it is no longer enough for companies like Accenture to recruit personnel from the competition. He said Accenture has doubled down on its investment in training and security boot camps to develop the next generation of security practitioners in the marketplace.
[…]
Bissell said Accenture would continue to funnel significant investments into developing security talent, as it is important to have “boots on the ground” when it comes to solving major cybersecurity issues for clients. He said companies like Accenture and other solution providers have a responsibility to help solve this issue for clients.
Read the study here.
Photo by Kai Schreiber via Flickr CC License