Number Of UK IT Security Jobs Doubles In Past Year

The UK is reporting a higher demand for IT security professionals than ever before as businesses look to shore up their defences following a series of high-profile cyberattacks.

Technology jobs site Technojobs revealed that the number of job vacancies in the field of cyber security rose by more than 100 percent compared to last year, with nearly two thousand jobs currently being advertised.

The rise in demand also means that qualified professionals can expect to command a higher salary than ever before, with Technojobs finding that there has been a 10 percent rise year on year for cyber security staff to an average UK salary of £57,000, rising to £65,000 in London.

Skilled

The rise in demand can be linked to a much higher awareness of the need for effective cybersecurity protection by businesses following attacks such as the iCloud celebrity photo hack and Target breach earlier this year.

“From the data it is clear that the cyber security sector is suffering from a problem of supply and demand,” said Anthony Sherick, Technojobs managing director.

“This demand will continue to grow especially as hacking scandals and cyberattacks continue to hit the news – from the iCloud celebrity photo hacking and the cyber-attack on eBay passwords, to the recent hacking of the White House computer systems. In addition, Government demand for security specialists is massive and at its highest levels as it continues to monitor national UK and international threats.  It is now more important than ever to invest in the right training and skills – and this requires schools, universities and businesses to develop a pipeline of talent capable of filling these vacant cyber security roles.”

The company also believes that the increased demand for cyber security professionals is a prime example of the current skill shortage across the IT and tech industry.

“The massive rise in the UK’s tech industry has been illustrated by the number of jobs that are now empty,” Sherick added. “If there continues to be such a distinct lack of skills, businesses will find it increasingly difficult to recruit employees from the UK with appropriate skills, stunting the growth of the economy.  More importantly with Cyber Security leaving our citizens and national security massively exposed.”

Maximising the huge number of jobs offered by the UK’s growing tech industry has proved to be a key area of interest for the government, mainly through its TechUK scheme, which looks to represent the one million people who have jobs in the tech sector, and ensure that information technology plays its part in the national economy.

This is despite recent estimates that up to 11 million jobs in the UK could be at threat from the growing spread of automated working. The prediction, by accountancy firm Deloitte and the University of Oxford, warns that  low paid repetitive or menial jobs are the most at risk in what it calls “a major shift” in the UK labour market.

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