The year 2020 revealed that businesses still struggle when it comes to cybersecurity. Not only are organizations dealing with a cybersecurity workforce shortage, which is estimated to be at 3.12 million, but existing security specialists have to constantly reinvent their skills to keep up with the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.
According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, the fastest-growing cybersecurity skill in 2021 is Application Development Security. The demand for this competence is determined to rise by 164% in five years.
Last year, 29,635 job vacancies required knowledge in Application Development Security, meaning that we can expect 48,601 new openings for specialists with this expertise over the next five years. As the world is turning more mobile, the necessity for Application Development Security know-how is increasing as well.
The numbers are based on the report published by Burning Glass Technologies in October of 2020. The report analyzed a database of more than 1 billion historical job records and calculated 5-year growth projections for cybersecurity skills.
Proficiency in Application Development Security is mostly required in occupations, such as Software Developer, Cybersecurity Engineer, System Engineer, DevOps Engineer, and Network Architect.
The second most rapidly growing skill is Cloud Security. In 2020, the cybersecurity job market had 19,477 job openings for Cloud Security experts, while the need for such specialists is projected to grow by 115% in five years.
Cloud Security know-how is highly requested in Cloud Architects, System Engineers, Software Developers, Cybersecurity Engineers, and Cybersecurity Consultants.
Risk Management rounds out the top three quickest-growing cybersecurity competencies. Last year, there were 57,967 job vacancies for professionals skilled in Risk Management. According to the estimates, their demand will increase by 60% in five year’s time.
Cybersecurity Engineer, Cybersecurity Analyst, Cybersecurity Manager, System Engineer, Network are just some of the occupations requiring knowledge in Risk Management.
Health Information Security is at the bottom of the top ten cybersecurity skill list with a 20% expected growth in the upcoming five years. Nevertheless, in 2020, there were 413,687 job offers for specialists competent in the subject. It means that in the next five years, we will still see around 24,737 new positions requiring proficiency in Health Information Security.
What is more, this expertise is often requested in roles that go beyond IT and cybersecurity, such as Health Insurance Sales Agent, Medical Assistant, Medical Records Technician, and Healthcare Administrator. It suggests that in an increasingly digital world, cybersecurity skills are slowly becoming essential across all professions.
Cloud Security skill pays the most
It is no secret that certain skills pay more because they are more valuable to employers due to the high demand and low supply of talent. The numbers suggest that, in general, most rapidly growing cybersecurity competencies are the most profitable.
The average salary premium for professionals knowledgeable in Application Development Security is $12,266. In the meantime, workers with Cloud Security know-how receive an average bonus of $15,025 — most of all the top-growing cybersecurity skills. Moreover, those experienced with Risk Management can expect an average salary premium of $13,379.
On the other side of the spectrum, Health Information Security is one of the slowest growing cybersecurity skills out of the top ten and one that comes with the smallest average salary premium — $738. However, the salary bonus does not depend solely on the projected demand for expertise.
For instance, specialists possessing Security Strategy and Governance competence can earn up to $7,735, which is 948% more than those with Health Information Security skills. However, both expertises have the same estimated growth of 20% in five years. Hence, factors, such as skill difficulty, may also impact the financial reward for each expertise.
All in all, with cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, no one can argue that getting cybersecurity right is difficult. However, as long as a significant part of our lives is taking place online, evolving our cybersecurity practices and skills is not only important but necessary.
