Cybersecurity and cloud computing have huge growth potential with the largest tech skills gaps

According to The World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2023 Future of Labor study, having in-demand skills would be advantageous in the future labor market.

Companies and organizations are changing the way they view almost every area of the workplace as a result of technology evolving quicker than they can create and scale up their training programs.

The WEF forecasts that 44% of workers' key abilities will be disrupted between now and 2027. More than 6,000 new positions were created last year, according to a study on cyber security skills produced by the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

Global end-user expenditure on public cloud services is anticipated to increase 20.7% to US$591.8 billion in 2023, according to Gartner. This is an increase from US$490.3 billion in 2022, and it is being caused by how quickly businesses are embracing cloud computing.

Cyber Security Ventures reports that during the past ten years, the number of cybersecurity job openings worldwide has grown at a stunning pace of 350%. From little over 1 million roles in 2013, the number has risen to 3.5 million by 2021. These peaked in 2022, and throughout 2023, the number stayed constant at 3.5 million.

The requirement for more people in information and cybersecurity tasks is a result of the growing cloud use. Security engineers (35%), security analysts (18%), security managers (14%), security architects (11%), and security consultants (9%), according to the government's cybersecurity skills report, are the most often opening jobs.

Cloud computing and cybersecurity are undoubtedly two fields with tremendous development potential for professionals wishing to secure their careers for the future or make an interesting change.

There are several things that employees with similar talents may do to close, or reduce, their experience gaps if they are concerned about an uncertain future as automation permeates so many positions as a result of the growth of generative AI technologies.

Opportunities for internal learning and growth might help in solving the issue to some extent. Compared to 21% of enterprises in the larger private sector, 73% of cyber-specific organizations have offered employee training.

Or, take into account outside training. A foundation in cybersecurity for people who wish to change careers or more in-depth courses for professional growth is among the courses offered by the National Cyber Security Centre's two levels of training that are intended to bridge the skills gap.

Companies should review their DE&I strategies to address the skills and employment gaps caused by a large number of unfilled positions now available and the significance of numerous jobs rising. According to research on women in cybersecurity published in 2022, just 36% of cybersecurity workers in the UK are female. Men typically hold the majority of positions in the industry.

There is no doubt that women are underrepresented in the IT industry, and a recent EY analysis revealed that the situation is much worse in the fintech sector, where they occupy only 11% of board positions and fewer than 20% of senior positions.

It's time for a change, so if you're prepared to advance your cybersecurity career, the Finextra Job Board is the greatest location to begin your search because it offers hundreds of positions, including the three listed below.

Using a more comprehensive strategy and on-the-job training, Deloitte is an example of a multinational corporation that employs several cybersecurity executives internationally. If that sounds interesting, the hybrid position of Automation Tester, Cloud & Engineering, Hybrid, will be located out of the Dublin office and be part of the cloud and engineering team.

Oracle London is offering yet another cloud option. In addition to conducting detailed requirements analyses and comprehending the customers' IT infrastructure and business objectives, the GenO Cloud Systems Engineer will work with the sales team to discover and qualify leads for hybrid cloud solutions.

IBM has an open position for a Cloud Solution Architect in London for candidates who want to work with a company that is a pioneer in digital transformation. Here, you'll take the lead in creating solutions, represent the customer while directing the technical team toward execution, and work with others to comprehend business objectives and issues.