Recent months have seen countless companies – big and small – hit the headlines, because of cyber security breaches. Add the extensive requirements of the upcoming GDPR reform, and it’s hardly surprising that IT Security now has a firm place at the top of the boardroom agenda.

As business leaders increase investment in defences against hackers, we’re starting to see a shift in how they integrate the necessary skills into their wider workforce. The IT Security workforce is evolving – here are three forces that are currently at work:

1. Employment models are changing

More and more organisations are beginning to realise that IT Security isn’t a one-time project. It’s a critical business component that needs ongoing investment. As a result, businesses are now focused on recruiting permanent IT Security employees. In fact, our latest Tech Cities Job Watch report revealed a 53% surge in demand for permanent IT Security skills year-on-year. That’s compared to a rise in demand of just 15% for contractors over the same period.

Of course, that’s not to say that contractors won’t be important going forward. Far from it. They’ll continue to be a critical weapon in the IT Security arsenal – but they’ll be used differently. In the future, contractors won’t just be called upon to deliver short-term fixes. Instead, smart employers will increasingly use contractors to empower and upskill their permanent workforce. This will allow them to stay ahead of the curve, even as the IT Security environment inevitably evolves.

2. Pay is on the up

Growth in the permanent recruitment market over contractors has been reflected in pay too. Our research found that annual IT Security permanent salaries climbed by nearly 5% across the 10 major UK tech cities compared to the year before. That’s compared to a meagre 0.62% rise in contractor day rates.

With demand for IT security talent at an all-time high, organisations that want to plug their skills gap are willing to pay more than ever before. They recognise that they need to open their wallets, to secure the right people with the right experience at the right time. Without increasing their investment to attract the best talent, their business risks becoming the next cyber security headline.

3. Development is more important than ever

Years ago, we could not have anticipated the exponential growth in technology capabilities. Nor could we have predicted the extent to which technology is now embedded in our lives. Unfortunately, this is reflected in the supply-demand imbalance of IT Security professionals. We’re reliant on them to preserve our safety and privacy as consumers, citizens and organisations – but there are simply not enough of them.

As a result, providing development opportunities is more important than ever before. Nonetheless, it’s challenging. After all, a syllabus developed today would by its very nature be addressing yesterday’s security challenges – not tomorrow’s. Nonetheless, to equip existing and new security professionals with the tools required to defend against future attacks, businesses must foster a culture of learnability and upskilling, to ensure they’re able to keep up with emerging and zero-day threats.

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The challenges associated with information security are growing, in line with the exponential evolution of technology and our increasing reliance on it. Some challenges can be anticipated; but many cannot. We need the judgement and skill that only IT Security professionals can provide to navigate this hostile territory. In short, IT Security talent management needs to be at the forefront of your organisational strategy.

Download the latest Tech Cities Job Watch report to find out more.

By combining the latest market intelligence with Experis insights and expertise, Tech Cities Job Watch provides employers with a barometer of the changing workforce dynamics within the technology sector.

It also puts a spotlight on the emerging opportunities and challenges businesses face in 10 UK Cities that have, or are rapidly developing, reputations as technology cluster hubs – London, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne.

The report focuses on five key disciplines: Big Data, Cloud, IT Security, Mobile and Web Development with each quarter focusing on a specific theme.

In the Q4 2016 edition of the report, we take a closer look at the increasingly important IT Security sector. Some of the key findings of the report include:

• Demand for permanent IT Security roles has increased by more than 50% since Q4 2015, as cyber-crime moves to the top of the C-Suite agenda
• Annual IT Security permanent salaries climbed by 4.99% across 10 cities, compared to 0.62% for contractor day rates
• IT Security professionals in London are still commanding the largest salaries by far (£62,596) – almost a fifth (19%) higher than any other region
• London continues to display the highest requirement for IT Security professionals, with around 80% of the UK’s contractor IT security roles advertised in London.

Download the report now to find out more

Tech Cities Job Watch Infographic

A shortage of skilled IT professionals across the country has resulted in tough competition across five key technology disciplines: Big Data, Cloud, IT Security, Mobile and Web Development.

This infographic highlights the demand trends as well as average permanent and contractor salaries in Q4 2016, in London and other UK Tech Cities, across the five disciplines.

To explore all the data, download the Tech Cities Job Watch report.

As new skill requirements emerge and grow in demand, it’s inevitable that others will become extinct. Consequently, there’s a growing awareness that individuals who seek learning opportunities will be more employable in the long-term. Nowadays, an individual’s ability to adapt to change and own their career determines professional success.

At ManpowerGroup, we call this ‘Learnability’ – the desire and ability to quickly grow and adapt one’s skill set to remain employable throughout their working life.

What’s Learnability?

Learnability is less about what you already know, and more about your capacity to learn. It’s about recognising that you’ll face new challenges throughout your working life, so it’s critical that you grow your skill set and adapt to new circumstances. In short, it’s a way for workers to “future proof” themselves – no matter who their employer may be and what their future work life holds.

Understanding and nurturing your Learnability creates opportunities to boost your career success. So, ManpowerGroup developed the Learnability Quotient to assist.

This short quiz allows you to assess your learning style, and provides resources to help you improve your learnability. Or, for employers trying to develop a workforce with the right skillsets, the Learnability Quotient can assist too. It will guide you on how to enable workforce performance and make better decisions on how to motivate your workforce.

 

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With technology advancing at pace, plenty has been written in recent years about how the future world of work will be affected.

Run a quick Google search and you’ll find countless politicians, economists and journalists speculating on the impact of robotics on tomorrow’s workplace. Some believe more jobs will be created; others say fewer jobs will be needed in the future.

While no one can be certain what the future holds, one thing is certain: tomorrow’s workplace will be very different from today’s. Skills that are valuable right now may not hold the same value in the future; and, in the years to come, new skill requirements will emerge too.

The future is bright

Embedding new technologies into an organisation requires people with specialist skills. As a result, employers are still hesitant to say ‘hello automation, goodbye workers’. That means, in the short-term, the future of work is bright. In fact, when we recently interviewed 18,000 employers as part of our Skills Revolution research, 90% of employers said they expected their organisation to be impacted by digitisation in the next two years. At the same time, 83% still expected to maintain or increase their headcount.

However, looking longer-term, the value we place on different skills will change. It’s likely that technology will replace both cognitive and manual routine tasks. This will encourage people to take on non-routine tasks and more fulfilling roles. Consequently, workers will increasingly find they need to upskill and diversify into new areas. For example, by harnessing skills like creativity, emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility, people will be able to augment robots, rather than be replaced by them.

Humans augmenting robots

Nearly two-thirds of the employers we spoke to said they’re investing in internal training to keep their employees’ skills up-to-date. This is certainly a step in the right direction. However, it’s worth remembering that any new education initiative is a long-term strategy. They can take many years to bear fruit.

More than a third of employers told us that they’re easing the transition by bringing in contractors and temporary workers. These specialists can transfer their expertise to the permanent workforce. Added to this, when someone leaves their role, over 40% of employers are recruiting individuals to replace them who have different skill sets, rather than replacing skills like-for-like.

Digitisation will bring new work opportunities, as long as organisations and individuals are ready. To ensure tomorrow’s workplace has the required skills, it’s important that employers take action now. The Skills Revolution requires a new mindset, for both employers trying to develop a workforce with the right skills and for individuals seeking to advance their careers.

We invite you to download our new Skills Revolution whitepaper to find out more.

Rarely a day goes by without news of digitisation, artificial intelligence and virtual reality impacting the workforce. Plenty of predictions have been made about the future: more jobs, different jobs, less jobs, even no jobs.

No one knows for sure what the outcome will be. Nonetheless, one thing is clear: we’re seeing the emergence of a Skills Revolution, where helping people to upskill and adapt to a fast-changing world of work will be the defining challenge of our time.

Organisations need to take immediate action and fast track the upskilling and reskilling of workers, to ensure they have the skills they need for the future. After all, while we cannot slow the rate of technological advances, we can invest in employees’ skills to increase the resilience of people and organisations.

The Skills Revolution: Why People Matter

To understand more about this emerging Skills Revolution, we interviewed 18,000 employers in 43 countries. We asked them how they think automation will affect their headcount; which functions they think will be most affected; and the strategies they’re adopting to ensure they have the skills they need for the future.

Our research found that the Skills Revolution requires new mindsets. This is the case for both employers trying to develop a workforce with the right skill sets; and for individuals seeking to advance their careers. Now’s the time for leaders and individuals to be responsible and responsive.

Download our whitepaper to read the full research findings.

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