New research from leading cyber security services company Bridewell has revealed the industries facing the most demand for cyber security professionals.
After analysing over 750 current cyber security job listings, Bridewell found that the IT sector is the most opportunity-rich with 209 active roles available, which accounts for 27 percent of all cyber security job listings. Management and consulting follow with 130 roles (17%), while the finance sector lists 119 (15%) active positions.
The findings highlight the need for cyber expertise across key industries as organisations grapple with increasingly complex digital threats.
Industries with complex and critical cyber security needs such as energy (36) and aerospace (20) show more demand than sectors like HR (11) but often require advanced expertise.
While the highlights a significant number of open opportunities, the research also reveals that almost 80 percent of all job listings do not include salary information.
The study found that while legal, insurance, and finance sectors offer the highest average salaries for cyber security roles, £75,000, £79,167 and £74,998 respectively, these industries are most likely to exclude pay details from job adverts.
The government & public administration sector leads in transparency, with 100 percent of roles disclosing salaries. Education and HR follow with 93 and 91 percent of job listings providing salaries respectively.
Fewer than 11 percent of insurance job listings disclose pay, and the average salary in legal is derived from just a single advert, suggesting limited visibility across sectors.
Management & consulting (3%) and retail & wholesale (6%) are among the least open. Despite being high-paying, transport & logistics (£68,500) and media & communication (£48,500) have very low rates of salary disclosure (5%).
Entire sectors like pharmaceutical, restaurants, arts, and property listed zero roles with salary information.
The report also raises questions about the reliability of job vacancy figures in the cyber security field. Bridewell’s internal analysis contradicts the findings of the frequently cited ISC 2 Cyber Security Workforce Study, which has been criticised for significantly overstating the number of available roles.
While the research reveals significant job gaps in the cybersecurity industry, experts at Bridewell indicate that entry-level cyber security roles are not as plentiful as often suggested.
Anthony Young, CEO at Bridewell commented: “Cyber security roles are often misrepresented as having an abundance of jobs which can lead to people training in cyber security and then not being to find work as the supply of entry-level roles doesn’t match demand.”
Young further explained: “There is a skills gap, but this is generally for the more advanced, senior roles and normally in quite niche specialisms like OT security, architecture and engineering.
“Transparency, whether in pay, job availability, or skill expectations, is essential to bridging the gap between job seekers and employers. We need a more honest conversation about where the gaps are, and how we can collaboratively close them.”
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