Cybersecurity workforce shortage reaches 4 million despite significant recruitment drive
Michael Hill
October 31, 2023
A new study suggests cybersecurity skills gaps can be worse than total workforce shortages.
The cybersecurity workforce shortage has risen to a record high of just under 4 million despite the cybersecurity workforce growing by almost 10% in the last year. That’s according to the latest Cybersecurity Workforce Study from ISC2, the nonprofit member organization for cybersecurity professionals. The gap between the number of workers needed and the number available has risen 12.6% year over year, with cutbacks, economic uncertainty, artificial intelligence (AI), and a challenging threat landscape as key driving forces, the research found. The current global workforce gap is estimated to be 3,999,964 while the workforce itself is estimated to be 5,452,732, according to ISC2. Meanwhile, organizations are investing in strategies to prevent or mitigate the staffing issues they face.
Two-thirds of organizations lack staff needed to prevent, troubleshoot security issues
Two-thirds (67%) of the 14,865 cybersecurity professionals surveyed reported that their organization has a shortage of cybersecurity staff needed to prevent and troubleshoot security issues. Cost-saving cutbacks such as budget cuts, layoffs, and hiring/promotions freezes are playing a fundamental role, the report found.
