According to the recent report, ‘Cyber security stress and burnout: a growing risk for organizations to address in 2022‘, around 41% of UK-based IT security managers are actively considering leaving their job in the next six months. While 31% of respondents found difficulties in recruiting skilled and talented people, only 23% agreed to recommend a career in cyber-security.
The whole shift in the industry has revealed a series of cyber-security frailties that IT leaders are struggling to deal with, leading to a demand for expert cyber-security professionals. According to the Cybersleek data on the current ‘Cyber-security supply/demand heat map,’ about 435,000 cyber-security job openings are available in the United States, up from approximately 314,000 in 2019.
With all these, the need for experienced cyber-security staff has increased, causing IT leaders to search for solutions to the skills shortage.
Critical Obstacles to Cyber-security Hiring
Companies face many challenges, from inadequate wages to employee burnout, compounding the cyber-security skills shortage while hiring a cyber-security professional. Solving every problem may not be possible, but one can address some to help improve the situation.
Burnout
According to the Forrester survey, ‘Predictions 2022: Cyber-security, Risk, And Privacy’, about 51% of cyber-security professionals experienced extreme stress or burnout at their work. Nearly 65% said they had considered leaving their existing profession due to job stress. This extensive burnout stems directly from the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic created heavier workloads on security as well as IT resources as companies undergo digital transformations.
Also Read: Deep Learning and how it is Transforming the Cybersecurity Landscape
Lower Wages
Despite increasing workload, there is no increase observed in employee compensations. Jobs are in demand, and workers can jump offers to make a substantially higher salary. But after those workers leave, organizations have a nearly impossible time replacing them to have adequate skills available at least possible cost disruption.
Lesser Benefits
The competitive salary and an attractive set of benefits is the actual driver behind fighting burnout and keeping employees active. Today employees will leave their job if their benefits package is not reasonable, and that includes paid leaves and flexible work timings as well.
Ways to Find and Cultivate Cyber-security Talent
Businesses can take a few steps to identify and cultivate cyber-security talent that will fill all their open roles.
Internship Programs
Finding talented workers and teaching them the skills they need to succeed in business internship programs is a great strategy. To create a successful internship program, organizations need to provide actual work experience to interns. Many institutes have vital IT programs and can also be a good source for a diverse candidate pool. Paid internship is the best way to keep them engaged in business and reduce their stress to perform better.
Referrals
On an average, referred candidates are faster to hire, stay at the company for about twice as long as non-referred candidates, and have a higher ROI than other employee sourcing methods.
These candidates should already be familiar with the organization’s core values, but leaders should take time to let them know which positions are open and which are most critical to the company’s success.
Also Read: CISOs taking Steps to Bridge Cybersecurity Skill Gap
Education for Employees Want to Move To Cyber-security
Organizations may have talented individuals already in their employ, and they may be interested in cyber-security but may not yet have the skills to make the transition. Employees who know human behavior, compliance, government policies, or risk management can bring that knowledge into a cyber-security role. They should consider funding or subsidizing a training or skills certification course for these employees.
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