Cyber Ireland’s annual conference saw leaders gather to discuss Ireland’s thriving cybersecurity sector and its ongoing skills shortage.
Cyber Ireland, a cluster organisation that represents the interests of the Irish cybersecurity sector, has reiterated an urgent warning that Ireland needs to amp up its search for talent. According to a new report, the country has the potential for up to 17,000 high-value cybersecurity jobs by 2030.
However, for that potential to be realised, we need to recruit at least 1,000 additional workers per year. The report, State of the Cyber Security Labour Market in Ireland, said that in 2022 alone there were 6,707 cybersecurity-related job postings.
Eoin Byrne, cluster manager with Cyber Ireland, said that the report “provides clear evidence of the increasing demand for cybersecurity talent in Ireland, outlining how there were three times as many job postings in 2022 compared to 2019”.
The majority (83pc) of businesses expect that their cybersecurity team will grow over the next twelve months, and more than half (51pc) expect that this growth will occur at a rate of 25pc or higher.
But Byrne also warned of the need to seize the opportunity and make sure Ireland can provide a pipeline of skilled talent to power the sector’s growth for the future.
“It demonstrates the benefits of supporting this sector’s growth, including regional employment growth, high-value jobs and the opportunity to position Ireland as a cybersecurity leader internationally,” he added.
A report by Experis Ireland earlier this year found that the cybersecurity sector was more impacted by skills shortages than any other IT subsector.
Byrne made his comments on the report at Cyber Ireland’s annual conference, CINC23. This year’s conference was centred around the theme of building a resilient digital future. The two-day event kicked off yesterday and brings together more than 300 senior cybersecurity professionals. Among the things they are exploring is the need to ensure Ireland becomes a leader worldwide in cyber resilience. The country has almost 500 cybersecurity companies, which collectively employ more than 7,300 professionals.
The cybersecurity industry contributed roughly €1.1bn to Ireland’s economy in 2022.
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