The Cybersecurity Talent Gap Is Growing [Infographic]

The frequency of cyberattacks is on the rise and the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals exceeds the supply. Purdue Global is partnering with industry leaders to educate cybersecurity professionals and help empower our digital society to use the internet safely and securely.

Purdue Global is an online public university that is tailored to the needs of working adults. We offer our strategic partners custom education solutions focused specific cybersecurity workforce needs. Request more information today.

The Cybersecurity Talent Gap Is Growing [Infographic] Content

There's an Urgent Talent Shortage in Cybersecurity. Here are the Facts:

October is National Cybersecurity Month. With growing concerns about the nation's urgent talent shortage in this critical field, Purdue Global is partnering with industry leaders to educate cybersecurity professionals and help empower our digital society to use the internet safely and securely.

The cybersecurity talent gap is growing.1

Between 2017 and 2022, there is expected to be 3.5 million jobs to fill.

And the costs of inadequate cybersecurity staffing are growing, too.

    • The average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million, and the number of breaches increases 6.4% every year.2
    • In the past 5 years, the amount of megabreaches (of more than 1 million records) has doubled.2

The shortage persists in spite of high earning power for cyber professionals.

    • More than 80% of cybersecurity positions are hired at a salary higher than the initial range offered.3
    • According to industry leader ManTech, cybersecurity professionals with proper certifications and a few years of experience earn generous annual compensation packages, with extremely competitive benefits.4

What are the most in-demand positions?5

    • IT security specialist
    • Information security analyst
    • Network security engineer
    • Security engineer
    • Application security engineer

Encouraging female talent in cybersecurity positions can help fight the shortage.

    • Only 24% of computer-related tech jobs are held by women. Men are offered higher starting salaries for the same roles 63% of the time.6
    • According to Dr. Lynne Williams, professor at the School of Business and Information Technology at Purdue Global, "In addition to deep technical knowledge, women possess crucial soft skills that employers are looking for and can help them break into high-paying technology fields like cybersecurity."

A survey of cybersecurity professionals shows that the most valuable soft skills in the field are7:

    1. Leadership skills
    2. Communications skills
    3. A strong relationship with business executives

Purdue Global's cybersecurity programs are trying to close these gaps.

    • There was a 223% increase in enrollments in Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity from 2016 to 2018.
    • There was a 227% increase in enrollments in the Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management from 2016 to 2018.

Sources

  1. Cybersecurity Ventures' Cybersecurity Jobs Report 2018–2021.
  2. IBM's 2018 Cost of a Data Breach study.
  3. CyberSN.com's The Cybersecurity Hiring Crisis.
  4. ManTech Corp.
  5. "The Future of Women Engineers," Forbes.
  6. Hired's The State of Wage Inequality in the Workplace report
  7. Enterprise Strategy Group survey, The State of Cyber Security Professional Careers

These facts and figures are provided for informational purposes only. Although the University will assist graduates with job placement, Purdue Global does not guarantee that graduates will obtain employment or career advancement or earn any specific salary. The salaries listed are estimates only and will vary based on experience level and employment location. National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth.