Mind the talent gap: Infosec vacancies abound, but hiring is flat

ISC2’s 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Study reports a record 4.8 million shortfall in security professionals, with the global workforce at 5.5 million and hiring largely flat; for the first time, budget limitations—rather than a lack of qualified talent—are cited as the top cause of staffing shortages. The study highlights widespread skills gaps (90% of organizations), with practitioners prioritizing communication, cloud, AI, and compliance, while hiring managers seek different capabilities; AI, cloud, zero trust, incident response, and appsec/pentest emerge as notable shortfalls. CompTIA data shows mixed tech employment trends and increased job postings amid tighter budget scrutiny, with many organizations turning to training to address skill gaps.