IT Security Skills Shortage Means Higher Salaries, More Risks

A new Intel Security study finds the IT security skills shortage is a global issue with no end in sight. Here are critical findings from the study.

According to the study, the top three security skills in demand today are intrusion detection, secure software development and attack mitigation.

Around the world, 82 percent of respondents to Intel’s study reported a shortage of cyber-security skills. Different countries, however, reported varying rates, with Mexico reporting the highest percent and the United Kingdom the lowest.

Because of the shortage of cyber-security professionals, salaries of such professionals are being pushed up. The median cyber-security salary globally is now at least 2.7 times the average wage. In the U.S., the report noted that cyber-security jobs pay a 9 percent premium, or $6,500 more, then other IT professionals.

The security skills shortage is not an issue that is confined to 2016. Globally by 2020, 15 percent of cyber-security positions are expected to go unfilled.

The cyber-security skills shortage is having an impact on organizations. Thirty-three percent of respondents reported that the shortage of cyber-security skills means that companies know they are a target for hackers, as the organization’s security isn’t strong enough.

There are a number of ways to develop cyber-security skills, among them participation in hacking competitions. Sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated that hacking competitions play either a small or big role in helping to improve cyber-security skills.

One of the approaches that many organizations are using to handle security is to outsource it. Globally, 60 percent of respondents indicated that their organizations outsource some security work.