The global cybersecurity skills gap narrowed over the past year, from 3.1 million to 2.7 million people, and job satisfaction got a substantial boost, according to the newly-published 2021 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study.
The narrower skills gap reflects an increase in people joining the field, the study found. “For 2021, our study estimates there are 4.19 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide, which is an increase of more than 700,000 compared to last year.” However, the gap in Asia-Pacific (APAC) was reduced by 500,000 this year, overshadowing the increased deficits in all other regions where the gap has actually increased.
Roughly one-third of the survey respondents indicated that a shortage in cybersecurity team members has led to real world impacts, including misconfigured systems, not enough time for risk assessment and management, rushed deployments, and slowly patched critical systems.
Participants also offered opinions on what specialized skills and roles their teams lack, aligned with the roles outlined in the U.S. government’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Framework. They cited categories such as Securely Provision (48%); Analyze (47%); and Protect and Defend (47%) as the top areas of need, but the data also shows a strong need for help across all roles.
Asked how they would improve their security posture if their organization’s personnel needs were fully met, cybersecurity professionals clearly indicated they would make even greater investments in people in areas like tra ..
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