On November 2nd, according to the "2023 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study" released by ISC2, the study surveyed nearly 14,900 cybersecurity professionals worldwide. The results showed that there have been several large-scale hacker intrusion incidents targeting different organizations in Hong Kong recently, and only 26% of respondents stated that their cybersecurity teams had experienced resource or personnel reductions in the past 12 months. This indicates that most organizations and enterprises still need to strengthen their ability to respond to potential network attacks.
The study points out that factors such as economic instability, artificial intelligence, fragmented regulatory systems, and skills gaps are the new challenges faced by cybersecurity professionals. Over half (51%) of the Hong Kong respondents believe that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain will be the biggest challenges in the next two years, second only to respondents from the United States (53%). Furthermore, the cybersecurity industry is facing a crisis-filled environment and tests. Nearly 70% of cybersecurity professionals in Hong Kong state that the current environment is the most challenging in the past five years, and only slightly over half (53%) believe that their organizations and businesses will have sufficient tools and personnel to address network incidents in the next 2-3 years.
The study estimates that the global cybersecurity workforce has reached 5.5 million, with an increase of 8.7%, equivalent to an additional 440,000 job positions. The Asia-Pacific region has seen a 12% increase in the cybersecurity workforce, reaching 9.6 million. However, there is concern that despite the large numbers, the demand for cybersecurity talent still far exceeds the supply, as the cybersecurity workforce gap has reached a historical high, requiring an additional four million professionals globally to protect digital assets.
In the future, the Hong Kong China Network Security Association (HKCNSA) will continue to focus on enhancing the training and development of cybersecurity professionals to meet the growing demand, and jointly promote the development of the cybersecurity industry, making positive contributions to building a secure and reliable cyberspace.