​LinkedIn data uncovers security skills gap

ICT security professionals are among the most sought after in the information technology sector, a new labour market report based on LinkedIn data has revealed.

The annual report prepared by Deloitte Access Economics, Austraila’s Digital Pulse, for the first time used LinkedIn data to reveal details about the types of ICT roles most in demand and security skills ranked in the top ten.

Previously, said Deloitte Access Economics partner John O’Mahony, ICT employment data was limited to more generic job titles that may or may not have required security skills.

“The Digital Pulse report for 2016 for the first time uncovers the demand for cyber security professionals Australia hasn’t previously known about. Previous research at the state level or the commonwealth level has focused on existing classifications for workers.

“Our report for the first time uses real-time data about labour market pressures and developments from LinkedIn to highlight that cyber security is a big IT need for Australia’s workforce,” Mr O’Mahony said.

For instance, in NSW ICT occupations under titles including network engineer and software engineer without revealing whether they security roles.

Australian Bureau of Statistics ICT occupational breakdowns were even more generic dividing the industry into six categories, Mr O’Mahony explained.

However, LinkedIn’s database classifies over 100 occupations as ICT roles offering a more granular view of the labour demand in the sector.

Of those, the report ranked ICT network security specialists as the sixth most sought after category of professionals.

Technical consultants, business development managers and cloud specialists round out the top three most sought after categories.

Deloitte has released of the new ICT labour market data at a time when the federal government is preparing to release the findings of its Cyber Security Review announced late in 2014.

The government has been holding consultations for the review with industry under strict confidentiality. However, skills have already been tipped to be one of the major challenges Australia faces protecting its critical systems and infrastructure.

A report released by the federal Australian Cyber Security Centre in 2015 found that Australia was coming under increasing threat from organised criminal and nation state sponsored “cyber adversaries”.

It found that the number cyber security incidents that the Australian Signals Directorate had been called on to respond to increased from 313 in 2011 to 1131 in 2014.

“In our approach to cyber security, Australia must remain vigilant, proactive and resourced to meet the challenges of a complex cyber environment.

“Cyber security efforts should aim to make Australia a harder target and thereby increase the trust and confidence of all Australians to engage in the benefits the internet brings. Effective cyber security requires a partnership between government and the private sector, with organisations and their users taking greater responsibility for the security of their networks and information,” the centre concluded in its report.

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