2018 State of Cyber Workforce
Let's start with this eye-opener: The cybersecurity profession is facing a shortfall of 3 million workers worldwide.
October 22, 2018
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt6d90778a997de1cd/blt42bc337934cce0e5/64f0d6186f55094ac72bcb3a/1workforce.jpeg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
The gap in available, skilled talent compared with the demand for cybersecurity skills on the job market continues to widen, according to new cybersecurity workforce numbers put out by (ISC)² out last week.
The study shows a need to fill upward of 3 million cybersecurity positions worldwide – now the No. 1 concern facing security managers today. The release of this report offers a good opening for Dark Reading to revisit the latest statistics from not only (ISC)², but a number of other industry authorities with recent reports on the state of cybersecurity hiring, salaries, training, and more. They come complete with some of the most eye-opening data visualizations to provide an illuminating snapshot on the state of the cyber workforce from a number of different dimensions.
A recent study conducted among Black Hat USA attendees shows the shortage of qualified people and skills is the No. 1 contributor to the failure of security strategies and technology deployments. This beats out other problems, such as a lack of commitment from senior executives, integration issues, and the volume of vulnerabilities in today's IT environments.
A recent study by Exabeam shows that median salaries for security professionals in North America are outpacing their counterparts in Europe and Asia-Pacific by as much as 50% to 100%. The pay disparity may be a contributing factor to the striking number of vacancies in Asia-Pacific compared with other regions.
Not only are organizations having a hard time filling positions, but they're also not keeping their workers in place fully trained. A survey of Black Hat USA participants shows that more than three in four security workers don't think they don't have enough training and skills to handle current threats and perform all of the security job functions required of them.
One of the big reasons security staff isn't staying skilled up is that employers aren't investing significantly in their training. A recent study by Cybrary shows that 60% of security professionals who undergo professional development must do so on their own time, and 53% of them must pay for it completely on their own dime.
The gap in available, skilled talent compared with the demand for cybersecurity skills on the job market continues to widen, according to new cybersecurity workforce numbers put out by (ISC)² out last week.
The study shows a need to fill upward of 3 million cybersecurity positions worldwide – now the No. 1 concern facing security managers today. The release of this report offers a good opening for Dark Reading to revisit the latest statistics from not only (ISC)², but a number of other industry authorities with recent reports on the state of cybersecurity hiring, salaries, training, and more. They come complete with some of the most eye-opening data visualizations to provide an illuminating snapshot on the state of the cyber workforce from a number of different dimensions.
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