It’s no secret that the UK is suffering from a talent deficit across many sectors, but the tech sector is facing a particularly severe bottleneck. In recent years, the UK cybersecurity sector has grown into a massive £14.7 billion market, employing tens of thousands of professionals.
Despite this, according to the latest UK Government labour market findings, approximately 49% of UK businesses suffer from a basic technical skills gap, meaning their current IT teams lack the confidence to execute foundational tasks like configuring firewalls or securely transferring data.
Why is the UK facing a cyber security skills crisis?
We are currently witnessing the evolution of a minor talent shortage turning into a full-blown cyber security skills crisis. But why is this happening?
The rise of AI
The rapid rise of AI has completely shifted the cyber security sector, where now, some organisations aren’t just looking for a traditional IT technician or cyber security professional, they now need specialists in AI and AI governance
Cyber security AI skill gap
A recent ISC2 study shows that since the rise of generative AI, AI governance and Cloud Security have emerged as the single most critical skill gap in the UK. The ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study highlights that 95% of UK companies suffer from a cybersecurity skills shortage, with finding talent skilled in AI governance, oversight, and cloud architecture ranking as the hardest recruitment challenge.
What does cyber security skills shortage mean for society?
The reality is, with an increasing number of companies struggling to fix their cyber security skill gaps, we can most likely see a direct ripple effect in our society.
When public sector organisations, local councils, healthcare systems and critical infrastructure networks teams are understaffed, we can expect to see slower response times to data breaches, increasing the damage and theft, and slower response times to system outages, meaning increased delays, causing businesses and organisations to have service blackouts, costing both money and business reputation.
How can businesses overcome cyber security shortages?
Waiting for perfect candidates to drop into your lap is highly unlikely and definitely not a viable strategy for your recruitment. Businesses now need to adapt their hiring methods and mindsets.
Hiring methods for cyber skill gaps
| Hire for aptitude, train for skills | Look for candidates who have strong problem-solving skills, curiosity and analytical thinking. From this, you have the blueprints of the perfect person who can fill the skill gap; all you need to do is invest in their certificates and experience. |
| Hire from within | Upskilling your current IT team or network staff could be an incredible way to fill skill gaps within cyber security. They already understand your business and systems, and show a brilliant culture of progression within the business. |
| Partner with a specialist cyber security recruitment agency | General recruiters will struggle to tap into niche sectors and markets, especially in sectors where skills gaps are known and active. With cyber security recruiters like us at Intaso, we have an incredible portfolio of talent looking for technical cyber roles, and niche jobs. |
Secure your digital defence with Intaso
In the mix of a competitive market and a skills shortage, finding the right person for your organisation and business requires deep industry networks and technical understanding.
At Intaso, we specialise in bringing high-class talent to your teams, bridging your talent gap. Don’t leave your business behind, contact us today to discuss the roles you need to fill, and find!
