Survey finds persistent cybersecurity workforce shortages

A new ISACA survey found that issues with hiring for cybersecurity roles remain, Infosecurity Magazine reports.

Findings showed that 65% of organizations reported having open cyber positions. Hiring also remains slow, as 38% of professionals reported that entry-level positions take three to six months to fill, while 39% reported the same for more experienced roles. Retention is also a challenge, with half of the surveyed organizations struggling to keep staff.

Budget pressures are also highlighted. More than half of respondents said their security teams are understaffed, budgets are often viewed as inadequate, and fewer organizations expect funding increases compared to last year.

Skill gaps also remain an issue. 27% of participants said graduates are well-prepared for cybersecurity careers, with the largest knowledge deficiencies seen in incident response, data security, threat detection and response, and identity and access management.

Most professionals described their roles as more stressful than five years ago, with rising attack volumes and a complex threat landscape cited as key factors.