Cybersecurity jobs growth slows amid budget cuts, layoffs, and a widening skills gap, reveals industry survey
The global cybersecurity workforce saw minimal growth of just 0.1 per cent year-over-year, reaching an estimated 5.5 million people, according to a report by ISC2 released on Wednesday. This marks the first time the sector has stalled since 2019. By comparison, cybersecurity jobs had grown by 8.7 per cent in 2022, reflecting a significant slowdown.
ISC2, a non-profit organisation that offers cybersecurity certifications and training, raised concerns about the future of cyber defence in its latest annual report. Factors such as increased budget cuts, layoffs, and hiring freezes are contributing to a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals.
The report, based on a survey of nearly 16,000 cybersecurity practitioners worldwide, highlighted worrying trends. One-quarter of respondents reported layoffs within their organisations, while nearly 2 in 5 noted budget reductions and hiring freezes. The perceived gap between the existing workforce and unmet needs for cybersecurity professionals grew by 19 per cent, amounting to 4.8 million unfilled positions globally. This brings the estimated total workforce required to meet demand to 10.2 million people, an 8 per cent increase from last year.
“The survey shows that while the workforce has slightly increased, the gap continues to grow, and budget constraints are limiting the ability to address the shortage,” said Jon France, CISO at ISC2.
In the U.S., cybersecurity job postings fell by 5.4 per cent year-over-year as of May, the largest decline among 14 countries surveyed by LinkedIn. Despite having the largest active cybersecurity workforce globally—nearly 1.3 million professionals—the U.S. saw a 3 per cent decrease from 2023’s total of 1.34 million.
With nearly 3 in 4 cybersecurity professionals stating that the current threat landscape is the most challenging in the past five years, the stagnation in workforce growth is troubling. Additionally, 9 in 10 respondents reported skills shortages in their organisations, with two-thirds indicating that the lack of expertise was a bigger challenge than staffing shortages.
The report also highlighted gaps in talent development, with 1 in 3 respondents saying their security teams lacked entry-level professionals. More than 60 per cent of hiring managers with vacancies focused on recruiting mid- to senior-level roles, exacerbating the skills shortage.
Factors such as economic uncertainty and contractions in certain business sectors are adding pressure to the cybersecurity industry.
