Ireland has ranked second in a global survey analysing where the biggest demand for cybersecurity jobs is, but it also highlights a worrying talent shortage now and in the years to come.
The cybersecurity survey compiled by Indeed looked at 10 of the largest markets globally for tech ranging from Canada to Israel, and Ireland in between, and asked employers about the availability of roles within cybersecurity.
Based on the initial findings, Ireland finds itself in second place in terms of the number of cybersecurity postings per million, surpassing the UK, the US, Germany and others.
Israel is the country to beat
Despite being the international hub for giants like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, Ireland still falls considerably short of Israel, the country ranked first on the list. Israel is seeking to fill twice as many cybersecurity roles as Ireland.
In Ireland in 2014, jobseeker interest in these roles was found to meet employer demand only 25pc of the time. In 2016, employer demands were met 39pc of the time, marking a 14pc increase in just two years.
Image: Indeed
By contrast, the skills gap appears to have worsened in major economies like the UK, Brazil and Canada.
Worryingly for many of the established and upcoming online companies here in Ireland, the apparent improvement in cybersecurity staff available is offset by the increase in cybersecurity vacancies, rising 41.2pc in the space of two years.
Cloud security has biggest deficit
This upswing is attributed to the growing threat posed by hackers and cybercriminals behind enormous breaches of personal data and privacy, like the Yahoo hacks that exposed billions of users’ information.
In more specified areas of security, Ireland is seriously lagging behind. The country does not have enough staff to meet demands, particularly in the area of cloud security with only 9pc of demand being met.
Similarly, but not as severe, Ireland only meets 20.6pc of its demand for jobs in application security.
Image: Indeed
Resources out there for jobseekers
Among employers in Ireland, the field with the highest employer demand was network security, accounting for 175.6pc more demand than application security in second place.
Commenting on the analysis, Indeed EMEA economist Mariano Mamertino said: “The threat of cyberattack is a significant risk for Ireland, given it is one of the most dynamic technology and business hubs in Europe.
“As cyberattacks increase in scale and sophistication, Ireland employers are racing to recruit the right staff to protect their business.”
Just recently, Silconrepublic.com discussed the implications for this known gap in the careers sector. Thankfully, there are a number of options out there for people looking to fill these potentially lucrative gaps.
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