The Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study: A Case Study

When cities went into lockdown amidst the coronavirus pandemic there was a rapid escalation of remote working and schooling. In response to this shift, AISA and the NSW Treasury commenced the Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study to identify potential cyber security gaps and examine the impact that the pandemic was having on the local cyber security industry.

Introduction and background

In early 2020, the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) partnered with NSW Treasury to undertake a research project that would identify potential cyber security skills gaps and look at the impact of COVID-19 on the local cyber security industry.

The project was led by AISA and the research aspects of the project were a collaboration between Professor Matthew Warren, the director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) and Damien Manuel, Chairman of AISA and Director of Deakin University’s Centre for Cyber Research & Innovation (CSRI).

When the coronavirus pandemic broke out in early 2020, physical health wasn’t the only area of public wellbeing at stake. Lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were accompanied by a rapid escalation of remote working and schooling.

This sudden and large-scale shift online meant that individuals, businesses, organisations and schools had to respond swiftly – without additional resources and within existing budgets – to attempt to ensure that their cyber security was robust and effective.

In response to this need, AISA and the NSW Treasury commenced the Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study to identify potential cyber security gaps and examine the impact that the pandemic was having on the local cyber security industry.

Project outcomes

The final report – The Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study – can be downloaded here.

AISA’s member survey found that in NSW:

96.5 per cent of NSW cyber security staff to work from home (WFH)
3.5 per cent of staff stated that they were employed in roles that did not allow a WFH model.
Of those who were employed pre-COVID-19:
70.4 per cent had experienced no change in their working status amid closures and physical distancing measures
7.8 per cent either were laid off, quit their job or had their employment contract terminated.

Other findings included:

96.5% were working from home
34.4% were working longer hours post-COVID-19
12.6% had their income negatively impacted postCOVID-19
70% of cyber security professionals have an industry accreditation
52.6% believe gender diversity in the sector has improved
13.9% of workplaces actively integrate autism / neurodiversity

From an executive perspective, 80% of executives believed their organisations are under-resourced. The main constraints to hiring sufficient staff were identified as:

Budgetary constraints (81.3%)
Headcount freeze (62.5%)
Unable to meet demand due to the continual increase in the threat landscape, (31.3%)
The inability to find the right talent in the market (25%).

The Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study: A Case Study

Download and read the full case study for the The Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study project by clicking the button below.

Download the case study

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01 July 2022

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The Australian Cyber Security Skills & Jobs NSW Study: A Case Study