Accenture and CyberCX launch cyber talent employment tool
A consortium of tech and cybersecurity organisations – including Accenture and CyberCX – has come together to launch CyberSeek, an interactive tool to monitor employment in Australia’s cyber security landscape.
CyberSeek uses data analytics and aggregation technology to deliver a real-time overview of the cyber security labour market – spanning millions of job postings in the field; demand for cyber skills by region; certified professional requirements for openings; salary expectations; growth and transition potential; and applicant volumes.
The goal is to help job seekers, employers, educators and policymakers alike bridge a growing cyber security talent gap in Australia. “The importance of technology on our economy has created urgent need for organisations to rapidly adopt secure digital tools. We need to build a skilled workforce that understands the future environment,” noted Toby Brennan, Director of Strategy at Accenture.
CyberSeek’s digital foundation was built by Accenture, in collaboration with labour market analytics specialist Burning Glass Technologies and IT certification body CompTIA – both of which have previously piloted the solution in the US.
Notable success in the US prompted the Australia launch of CyberSeek – officially rolled out by the country’s largest home grown cyber security consultancy CyberCX. Backing for the launch came from the $15 million AustCyber Projects Fund – a three-year development initative rolled out by cyber security growth network AustCyber.
“Australia has some of the best cyber talent in the world, but we need to expand the supply of talent coming through the pipeline if we are to have a vibrant and globally competitive economy,” said AustCyber CEO Michelle Price.
Critical talent gap
CyberSeek data gathered so far shows that there are only six candidates for every opening in Australia’s cyber security industry – a meek ratio when considering the critical importance of these roles.
“Cyber security workers protect Australia’s most important assets, from critical infrastructure to enterprise intellectual property, through to the personally identifiable information millions of Australians use to access their bank accounts,” noted CyberCX CEO John Paitaridis.
“The dangerous shortage of cyber security workers Australia is facing puts our collective digital privacy and infrastructure at risk.” And if this was a menacing challenge before, it has been thrown in the spotlight with the Covid-induced transition to virtual working structures – stretching Australian businesses open to a host of new cyber threats.
For price, CyberSeek is a big step forward in solving this problem. “Maintaining and broadening efforts to attract and train workers in cyber security expertise will ensure the future quality of Australia's cyber workforce. The launch of CyberSeek ensures key enablers are in place to transition workers.”
