Demand for security pros in UK rises by 46 percent

To say that IT security professionals in the UK are in demand would be a severe understatement. A new report by Experis says there has been an increase of 46 percent in the demand for both permanent and contract IT security professionals.

The report, entitled Tech Cities Job Watch, says companies are putting more emphasis on long-term investments.

There has been a 52.9 percent surge in demand for permanent staff, year-over-year. From Q4 2015, to Q4 2016, the demand had risen "just" 15.3 percent.  The increase in demand has also affected IT security pros’ salaries. Annual IT security permanent salaries increased 4.99 percent to £57,706. Contractor day rates have also risen 0.62 per cent to £484 in the same period.

Geoff Smith, managing director, Experis UK & Ireland, comments: "In the wake of several high-profile hacks, from the likes of Yahoo, NSA, and the Bangladesh Bank Swift, and with the European Union’s GDPR set to come into effect from May 2018, cybercrime is at the top of the C-Suite agenda for companies of all sizes -- not just the big multinational players. And, with business leaders taking cyber security concerns more seriously than ever before, we’re starting to see a shift in how they integrate the necessary skills into their workforce. While there’s still a requirement for contractor support, employers are now prioritizing long-term defense, and are increasingly looking for permanent IT security professionals to do this."

The report takes a closer look at 10 of the UK’s major cities, and London is leading the charge, with 3,164 jobs advertised, three times as much as in all other cities combined (1,278). The gap is even bigger with contractor roles – 80 percent of them (604) are in London.

Smith concludes: "The demand for IT security talent is at an all-time high. As our data shows, those organizations that are looking to plug the skills gap are willing to pay more than ever before to bring in the right people with the right experience at the right time to ensure their business doesn’t become the next cyber security headline."

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Future plc Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: Den Rise/Shutterstock