After a period of rapid acceleration, the technology industry, like many others around the world, is facing increasingly dire economic conditions. Massive layoffs at companies like Meta, Twitter and Amazon shed light on the difficult decisions currently being made in the recession. While the UK tech sector has suffered far less than other regions, employees are still looking for ways to defend their roles.
At the same time, many technology companies lack the cybersecurity talent they need to protect their organizations from increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats. In fact, the number of UK organizations reporting problematic skills shortages has more than doubled from 23% to 51% over the past decade, he said. And without enough security personnel, tech companies have fewer resources to focus on much-needed innovation to weather the recession.
So how is the UK tech sector closing the cybersecurity skills gap despite being asked to do more with less in an increasingly challenging economic climate? Can you concentrate?
Strengthening Cybersecurity Skills with L&D
Nearly a quarter (24%) of UK tech HR leaders believe cybersecurity is the most lacking digital skill in their organizations, according to a survey. Encouragingly, most (88%) of businesses put cybersecurity at the top of their priority list, with him planning to spend more than £25,000 in the next 12 months to play a key role. increase. But the double jeopardy of a recession and a widening skills gap isn’t something companies can hire.
With the threat of a recession, nearly 90% of businesses are expected to increase their spending on technology-focused learning and development (L&D) over the next 12 months, but our research shows that spending on L&D are not aligned with the most lacking skills. In fact, UK tech companies lack cybersecurity skills in software architecture, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), but spend more than £10,000 on recruiting and L&D, especially to strengthen their security workforce. Few organizations are willing to spend.
Furthermore, while many technology companies are willing to pay large salaries to hire new security talent (average UK cybersecurity salaries are around £63,500), there is a growing need to upskill their current workforce. Investment remains low. In fact, the tech sector will spend an average of £33,676 on recruitment over the next year, compared to just £31,651 on L&D. These findings are particularly worrying given that businesses need to stay at the forefront of innovation and stay competitive while protecting themselves from rising cybersecurity threats.
Future prospects
With over a third of Europe’s largest tech companies now based in London, the UK remains a benchmark for innovation. But our research suggests that tech companies across the UK lack the technical skills they need to thrive and stay safe in the difficult months ahead.
DCMS’ UK Data Skills Gap report underscores the limited supply of university graduates with specialized technical skills, prompting companies to look to digital You have to accept that you have a bigger role to play in improving your skills. Business leaders must provide sufficient investment and support in upskilling their current workforce to strengthen cybersecurity talent and foster innovation.
At the same time, employees should prioritize cybersecurity-related L&D to make themselves an invaluable asset to the organization. She should proactively identify training opportunities with quality L&D partners and be aligned with her unique learning style and objectives. While there is no unconventional approach to upskilling, employees are granted access to a range of learning opportunities as part of a defined path of personal development and as part of the broader organizational culture of personal development. should be.
In turbulent times ahead, technology employers and employees must work together to create a highly skilled workforce. This is essential to foster innovation while remaining protected from advanced cyberthreats.
