Research and analysis

Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2021

Research detailing skills needs and job vacancies across the UK cyber security sector.

Documents

Details

The Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market 2021 report explores the nature and extent of cyber security skills gaps (people lacking appropriate skills), skills shortages (a lack of people available to work in cyber security job roles) and job vacancies in the UK.

The research uses a mixture of:

  • representative surveys with cyber sector businesses and the wider population of UK organisations (businesses, charities and public sector organisations – with a focus on businesses)
  • qualitative research with training providers, cyber firms and large organisations in various sectors
  • a secondary analysis of cyber security job postings using the Burning Glass Technologies database

A related report exploring the supply of cyber security skills, Understanding the Cyber Security Recruitment Pool, is also available.

Last year’s version of this survey, Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market 2020 from March 2020 is also available.

Published 23 March 2021
Last updated 20 December 2021 + show all updates
  1. Report amended to correct inaccurate diversity figures in the main report (on pages 7 and 8 in the PDF; marked as pages 3 and 4 in the document.) Also minor amendments on pages 22, 52, 76, 81 and 84 of the PDF. Amended infographic detailing cyber skills gaps in the UK cyber sector.

  2. Added technical report.

  3. Added infographics

  4. First published.