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Govt report finds continuing problem with cyber skills gap

Published on: 26 Mar 2020

 Many businesses are finding cyber roles hard to fill, it seems.

A lack of cyber security knowledge among new recruits and existing staff is continuing to hinder businesses across the UK, according to a report.

Research carried out on behalf of the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) found firms are short of staff with the technical and incident response skills to manage their cyber security.

Some 48 per cent of respondents to the survey said they have a basic skills gap, with personnel lacking the confidence required to carry out basic tasks such as establishing firewalls, detecting malware or transferring personal data.

Another 30 per cent reported a more advanced skills gap in areas such as penetration testing and forensic analysis, while 25 per cent admitted the issue is preventing them from achieving business goals.

Furthermore, the 68 per cent of businesses that had tried to recruit someone for a cyber role within the past three years said a third of roles had been difficult to fill.

"Skills gaps and skills shortages continue to affect a large number of organisations. There needs to be more investment in technical skills and training, within the cyber sector and the wider economy," the DCMS report concluded.

According to an (ISC)2 report published last November, the number of trained staff needed to close the global cyber skills gap is 4.07 million.