- The cybersecurity sector of the United Kingdom is growing rapidly
- The industry is worth 13 billion and has more than 67,000 workers
- There is still a cybersecurity skills gap
The cyber sector in the United Kingdom has seen a significant investment in recent months, and has grown 12% in the last year, according to a new analysis. The industry generated £ 13.2 billion in revenues during the past year, with a total gross added value of £ 7.8 billion, 21% more than the previous year.
This has also translated into an increase in jobs, with 67,300 now working in the industry, which is a 11% increase since last year (6,600). There are new companies, with 74 new cybersecurity companies created, which takes the total of 2,165, which represents an increase of 3.5%.
The United Kingdom government has introduced its ‘plan for change’, financing 30 cyber skills projects with £ 2 million throughout the United Kingdom. These aim to “ensure that the country has the cyber workforce that it needs” to counteract the growing threat of cyber attacks.
Skills scarcity
A shortage of cybersecurity skills in the United Kingdom has led to greater vulnerability to cyber threats, opening the door to data infractions, financial losses and reputation damage. The United Kingdom has seen important interruptions of critical infrastructure, including ransomware attacks in NHS hospitals, which illustrate the problem scale.
“£ 13 billion is a lot of money, but the real added value to the economy of the United Kingdom by the cyber security market is incalculable,” said Andy Kays, CEO of the Safety firm undermines.
“While it is great to see growth, there is much more potential, particularly if we can address long -standing problems, such as the lack of technical skills, regional disparities, the lack of investment in research and new companies, and apathy among SMEs. The panorama of threats, particularly due to the impact of AI, continues to evolve and it is important that the industry needs to continue innovating to maintain rhythm. “
The need for SMB to adopt cybersecurity practices, says Kay, since they are increasingly threatened, partly thanks to the lack of security prioritization. In fact, SMEs are being beaten by more cyber attacks than ever, so there is no room for anyone to neglect cybersecurity.
