In April and May of this year, we commissioned a survey of 300 security and IT workers in the United Kingdom, and today we are publishing the results. They reveal the attitudes and beliefs that cybersecurity practitioners have about their day-to-day working experience. Here are a few highlighted takeaways:
Front Line Cybersecurity Experts Lack Confidence to Protect UK Organizations
With cybersecurity being a top-of-mind concern for executives and boards of directors, over a quarter (27%) of front-line cybersecurity personnel do not feel knowledgeable enough as an individual to spot a cyber threat. Additional insights from the survey include:
- Nearly one-third (30%) of those working in cybersecurity claim they do not know how to use their organization’s security tools effectively
- Only 19% of cybersecurity practitioners feel that the team they work on is effective at stopping cyberattacks
- 35% of cybersecurity professionals claim they have forgotten what they have learned because training happens too infrequently
UK Cybersecurity Professionals are Struggling to Find a Work-Life Balance
With the volume of threats increasing each year, and organizations being susceptible to an attack around the clock, cybersecurity professionals in the UK are overwhelmed by work, with half of them claiming to be regularly working over 40 hours per week. Other work-life imbalance findings include:
- More than a quarter (26%) of cybersecurity workers claim their job has a negative impact on their mental health
- 56% of practitioners believe they would be blamed by management if their organization experienced a breach
- 25% of those working in cybersecurity were unable to use all of their holiday entitlement last year
Cybersecurity Practitioners are in High Demand and Actively Looking for New Opportunities
There is a global cybersecurity skills shortage and UK-based practitioners are increasingly aware of the value their skills have on the open market, with nearly half (44%) of survey respondents saying they have recruiters contacting them about new job opportunities multiple times per month. Other insights include:
- 79% of practitioners received a pay increase below the rate of inflation last year
- More than a third (34%) of cybersecurity workers say they are thinking about changing jobs in 2022
- 39% of practitioners believe they would be able to find a job in their field in under a month
Female Security Professionals Remain the Minority; Diversifying Hires Offers Upside for All
Cybersecurity practitioners in the UK remain overwhelmingly male, with only a third of survey respondents identifying as female. Employers would be wise to further diversify their cybersecurity hiring, not only to bring additional perspectives to their IT and security teams, but also because female practitioners are more likely to stay with their current employer for a longer period, with the survey revealing:
- Less than a quarter (23%) of female practitioners are thinking of changing jobs this year, compared to 40% of their male counterparts
- Over two-thirds (68%) of women cybersecurity professionals believe they can advance their cybersecurity career at their current employer
Want to learn more about the survey findings? Next week, from June 21-23, Arctic Wolf will be exhibiting at Infosecurity Europe in London. Come and meet the team and see the Oracle Red Bull Racing car in prime position at stand H25.
