Research and analysis

Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market

Results of independent external research which explores the UK cyber skills labour market and cyber security skills gap.

Documents

Details

Note: An updated version of this survey - Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market 2020 - was published in March 2020.

As part of the National Cyber Security Strategy, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working to ensure all organisations have access to the cyber security skills they need. This research supports that aim and informs the Government’s Cyber Security Skills Strategy.

This research sets out:

  • What the cyber security jobs market and landscape currently looks like
  • How the market understands and defines the term “cyber security professional”
  • What cyber security skills organisations of all sizes and sectors are acquiring, how they are doing so and how hard or not it is to acquire the right skills, retraining products and/or services
  • Key lessons and recommendations on what Government and industry can do to tackle the gap, particularly around retraining and upskilling.

This was a mixed method research project using both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. It was conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of DCMS.

The research for this project included:

  • A literature review.
  • 12 industry expert interviews.
  • A quantitative survey of 1,030 businesses, 127 public sector organisations and 470 charities.
  • 32 further in-depth interviews, including 27 with a mix of organisations that took part in the survey and five with external cyber security providers which were not part of the survey.

Further information on cyber security skills is set out in the Government’s Cyber Security Skills Strategy.

Published 21 December 2018