Cybersecurity and cloud computing have the largest gaps in technology skills

In the future job market, it pays to have in-demand skills, says the World Economic Forums (WEF) 2023 Future of Jobs report.

Technology is moving faster than companies can design and scale their training programs, and as a result, companies and organizations are reshaping the way they look at nearly every aspect of the workplace.

In fact, between now and 2027, the WEF has predicted that 44% of workers’ basic skills will be disrupted. Over 6,000 new jobs were added last year, according to a cybersecurity skills report compiled by the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Gartner reports that worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is projected to grow 20.7 percent to $591.8 billion in 2023. This is an increase from $490.3 billion of 2022, and is driven by the pace of digital transformation as businesses increasingly shift to cloud solutions.

According to Cyber ​​Security Ventures, the number of job vacancies in the global cyber security industry has experienced a remarkable 350% growth rate over the past decade, from just over 1 million positions in 2013, the number has soared skyrocketed to 3.5 million in 2021. These leveled off in 2022 and the figure remained stable at 3.5 million throughout 2023.

The two roles are interlinked As cloud adoption accelerates, more professionals are needed in cyber and information security functions. The Government’s Cybersecurity Skills Report finds that the most common roles opening up are security engineers (35%), security analysts (18%), security managers (14%), security architects (11%) and security consultants (9%).

Huge growth

It’s clear that cloud computing and cybersecurity are two areas of huge growth opportunity for workers looking for a way to future-proof their career or make an exciting breakthrough.

For those nervous about an uncertain future as automation creeps into so many roles thanks to the rise of generative AI tools, there are a number of things skill-adjacent workers can do to bridge or shorten their skills. experience gaps.

Internal learning and development opportunities can go some way towards providing a solution to the problem. In cyber-specific companies, 73% provided staff training, compared to 21% of companies in the broader private sector.

Or, consider external training. The National Cyber ​​Security Center has designed two levels of training to address the skills gap, and courses include a cybersecurity foundation for those who want to orient themselves or more in-depth courses for professional development.

Diversification is key

With so many open roles in existence and many jobs increasing in importance, it makes sense for companies to look to their DE&I policies to help fill job and skills gaps. Men tend to dominate the cybersecurity job market, with a 2022 report on women in cybersecurity finding that women in the UK make up just 36% of the cybersecurity workforce.

It’s no secret that women are a minority of the tech workforce, and in fintech those numbers are worse, according to a report from EY, which found that women hold just 11 percent of all seats on fintech boards. and represent less than 20% of corporate executives. .

It’s time for a change to happen, so if you’re ready to elevate your cybersecurity career, Finextra Job Board is the best place to start your search as it features thousands of jobs, such as the three below.

Deloitte is an example of a global company hiring a large number of cybersecurity executives globally, using a more holistic approach and on-the-job training. If that appeals, the Automation Tester, Cloud & Engineering, Hybrid role is within its Cloud and Engineering team and will be based out of the Dublin office.

Another cloud opportunity is offered by Oracle in London. The GenO Cloud Systems Engineer will work with the sales team to identify and qualify leads for hybrid cloud solutions and conduct thorough assessments of needs and understanding of clients’ IT infrastructure and business objectives.

For those who would like to work for a digital transformation leader, IBM has an open role in London for a Cloud Solution Architect. Here, you will serve as a solution definition leader, be the customer advocate leading the technical team on implementation, and collaborate to understand business issues and requirements.

For hundreds of cloud and cybersecurity jobs, check out the Finextra job board.