Cyber bodyguards in high demand, recruiters say

The job market is booming for professionals with cyber skills that can protect a business from cyber espionage, data leaks, and hackers. Cyber security specialists are in high demand because all industries need safe infrastructures, starting with finance, education, medical facilities, automotive, agriculture, government agencies, and ending with the hottest tech trend – the internet of things. The internet of things is probably the most vulnerable, as manufacturers rush devices to market, overlooking the vulnerabilities.

“The non-profit Center for Cyber Safety and Education last month predicted a global shortage of 1.8 million skilled security workers in 2022,” writes Reuters. “The group, which credentials security professionals, said that a third of hiring managers plan to boost their security teams by at least 15 percent.”

Companies are actively investing in employees with code skills and cybersecurity knowledge, turning the cyber bodyguard into the trendiest career in the industry. China is one of the countries where businesses have so far spent high amounts of money to hire the most resourceful cyber security specialists, according to South China Morning Post, and the demand will increase.

Although industries have particular demands, all businesses need a specialist to help eliminate phishing attacks, data leaks and insider threats. According to a study from Alibaba, as many as 49 percent of security breaches are caused by insider threats.

“We have seen an increase in permanent demand for security experts across a range of clients, with analysts and architects, cyber threat intelligence analysts, consultants and cyber incident analysts being the most in demand,” said Simon Lance, Greater China managing director at Hays.

Undeniably, professionals working in cybersecurity have a high number of opportunities, including joining bug bounty programs. Since 2014, $18.8 million have been spent on fixing 50,140 bugs, reported bug bounty platform HackerOne.