Australia is facing a cyber security skills gap that is putting businesses at risk of data breaches, according to a recent study. StickmanCyber, an Australian cyber security service provider, found that there are only 11,387 cyber security professionals in vital roles across the country, making up just 3% of the ICT workforce.
The study also revealed that there are more ICT project managers and chief information officers in Australia than cyber security professionals. In fact, there are more software engineers in New South Wales alone than cyber security professionals in the entire country.
To address this talent gap, Australia has been relying on skilled migrants, with 51% of cyber security professionals born outside of the country. However, the gender mix in the industry is lacking, with only 16% of cyber security professionals being women.
Ajay Unni, CEO and founder of StickmanCyber, emphasized the need to incentivize young people, especially women, to pursue a career in cyber security. He also highlighted the importance of improving working conditions and reducing burnout to retain professionals in the field.
Under Australia’s cyber security strategy for 2026 to 2028, efforts are being made to improve cyber maturity and develop a diverse cyber workforce. Proposed measures include aligning migration policy with cyber skill requirements and guiding employers to target and retain diverse talent in order to support the professionalization of the cyber workforce.