Alexandria, Va., October 31, 2024 – ISC2 – the world’s leading nonprofit member organization for cybersecurity professionals – today released the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. The report finds that, despite the growing need for professionals, global workforce growth has slowed for the first time since ISC2 began estimating the workforce size six years ago, holding at 5.5 million people (a 0.1% year-on-year increase). This contrasts with last year when the workforce grew 8.7% year-on-year despite declining economic conditions.
The study reveals that professionals are feeling the impact of declining investments in the cybersecurity workforce, including budget cutbacks and layoffs, affecting workforce satisfaction, the development of organizational security, the adoption of new technologies, and more. For the first time, participants cited “lack of budget” as the top cause of their staffing shortages, replacing “lack of qualified talent” as the top cause in the previous year’s research. Additionally, 74% of respondents say the threat landscape is the most challenging they have experienced in the last five years, and job satisfaction has fallen from 74% in 2022 to 66% in 2024.
Meanwhile, 67% of respondents indicated they had a staffing shortage this year, while 90% reported skills gaps on their cybersecurity teams. More than half of those surveyed (58%) believe a shortage of skills puts their organization at significant risk, and over one-third of respondents cited AI as the biggest skills shortfall on their teams. Professionals believe that AI and automation will have the most significant impact on their ability to secure their organization.
The study also measured cyber professional’s perspectives on the opportunities they see for growth. Study participants are optimistic about AI adoption and are focused on attaining the skills they need to be successful in an AI-driven workplace. 66% of study participants say AI represents career growth opportunities, while 54% say it will be helpful to their organizations’ security operations. 51% believe AI will result in certain cybersecurity skills becoming obsolete, but two-thirds are confident their expertise will complement the technology, with 80% saying their cybersecurity skill set will be more important in an AI-driven world.
“As economic conditions continue to impact workforce investment, this year’s Cybersecurity Workforce Study underscores that many organizations are putting their cyber teams under significant strain, risking burnout and attrition as job satisfaction rates fall,” said ISC2 Acting CEO and CFO Debra Taylor, CC. “Despite these challenges, AI is viewed by professionals as a solution to strengthen their organizations’ security and create new efficiencies for their teams. They also view effectively managing risk associated with AI adoption and its strategic importance to their organization’s future success as career growth opportunities for themselves and their peers. Organizations and cybersecurity leaders must recognize how AI can contribute to creating more resilient security teams, especially while economic challenges persist.”
Cyber Professionals Embracing AI
To prepare for future opportunities, 73% of respondents are building their cybersecurity skill set, 52% are focused on becoming a more strategic contributor to the organization, and 48% are learning more AI-related skills.
Additionally, 45% of respondents’ teams are already utilizing AI in cybersecurity tools, with the top five use cases being:
- Augmenting common operational tasks (56%)
- Speeding up report writing and incident reporting (49%)
- Simplifying threat intelligence (47%)
- Accelerating threat hunting (43%)
- Improving policy simulations (41%)
Other key findings include:
- Nearly 90% of professionals said their organization has a Gen AI use policy, but 65% say their organization needs to implement more regulations on the safe use of Gen AI
- Only 60% of respondents reported that their cybersecurity team is involved with creating regulations and guidelines for Gen AI
- Lack of a clear Gen AI strategy was cited as one of the top barriers to its organizational adoption by nearly half (45%) of all participants
- Once AI strategies are enhanced, 68% agree within the next two years, they will be able to use Gen AI effectively as part of their roles
To learn more about how the economy and AI are redefining the environment in which cyber professionals work, read the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study.
An in-depth analysis of this year’s cybersecurity workforce gap and skills shortages is available here.
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About the ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study
ISC2 conducts in-depth research into the challenges and opportunities facing the cybersecurity profession. The ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study is conducted annually to assess the cybersecurity workforce gap, to better understand the barriers facing the cybersecurity profession, and to uncover solutions that enable individuals to excel in their profession, achieve their career goals, and better secure their organizations’ critical assets.
Methodology
The 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study is based on online survey data collected in collaboration with Forrester Research, Inc. in April and May 2024 from 15,852 cybersecurity practitioners and decision-makers. The respondents reside in North America, Latin America (LATAM), the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) and Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA). Respondents in non-English speaking countries completed a locally translated version of the survey.
About ISC2
ISC2 is the world’s leading member organization for cybersecurity professionals, driven by our vision of a safe and secure cyber world. Our nearly 675,000 members, candidates and associates around the globe are a force for good, safeguarding the way we live. Our award-winning certifications – including cybersecurity’s premier certification, the CISSP® – enable professionals to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities at every stage of their careers. ISC2 strengthens the influence, diversity and vitality of the cybersecurity profession through advocacy, expertise and workforce empowerment that accelerates cyber safety and security in an interconnected world. Our charitable foundation, The Center for Cyber Safety and Education, helps create more access to cyber careers and educate those most vulnerable. Learn more and get involved at ISC2.org. Connect with us on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.
© 2024 ISC2 Inc., ISC2, CISSP, SSCP, CCSP, CGRC, CSSLP, HCISPP, ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP, CC, and CBK are registered marks of ISC2, Inc.
