Cybersecurity pros less likely to be impacted by layoffs if economy slows

In
the
face
of
recession
worries,
cybersecurity
teams
would
be
least
affected
by
staffing
cuts
in
2023,
according
to
a
survey
of
C-suite
executives
by
(ISC)².

Fears
have
been
growing
that
the
U.S.
and
the
world
could
be
hit
by
a
recession
this
year,
and
with
a
slower
economy
comes
the
prospect
of
job
cuts.
If
layoffs
are
in
store,
however,
a
new
report
from
cybersecurity
industry
association
(ISC)²
says
that
security
professionals
will
be
among
the
least
affected.

For
its
report
entitled

How
the
Cybersecurity
Workforce
Will
Weather
a
Recession,
(ISC)²
surveyed
1,000
business
executives
in
December
2022
from
the
U.S.,
the
U.K.,
Germany,
Japan
and
Singapore.
Respondents
included
only
non-tech/security
C-suite
professionals
working
for
organizations
with
a
security
team
of
at
least
two
employees.

Jump
to:

Cybersecurity
jobs
least
likely
to
be
cut

Among
those
surveyed,
85%
said
they
expect
layoffs
will
be
necessary
at
their
companies,
but
only
10%
think
cybersecurity
jobs
are
likely
to
be
cut.
That
contrasts
with
the
30%
of
respondents
who
anticipate
cuts
in
human
resources,
24%
in
finance,
24%
in
operations,
22%
in
marketing
and
22%
in
sales.

The
most
optimistic
outlook
for
security
pros
is
a
sign
that
executives
see
the
criticality
of
cybersecurity.
In
the
event
of
a
recession,
cybercriminals
won’t
be
facing
layoffs
—
if
anything,
they’re
likely
to
increase
their
attacks
under
the
belief
organizations
may
be
understaffed
and
more
vulnerable.
In
fact,
80%
of
those
surveyed
believe
that
a
slower
economy
would
lead
to
more
cyberthreats,
while
87%
feel
that
a
reduction
in
cybersecurity
staff
would
trigger
greater
risks
and
challenges
in
the
fight
against
cyberattacks.

Security
pros
expected
to
find
jobs
elsewhere

Security
professionals
would
also
be
among
the
top
beneficiaries
after
the
economy
bounced
back.
Some
51%
of
the
respondents
said
that
cybersecurity
workers
would
be
prioritized
for
hiring
or
rehiring.
Even
now,
almost
three-quarters
(74%)
of
executives
said
they’d
be
open
to
hiring
security
pros
laid
off
elsewhere
should
the
opportunity
arise.

Cybersecurity
hiring
has
already
been
a
focus
for
many
organizations.
At
least
90%
of
the
respondents
from
all
but
one
of
the
countries
said
they
increased
such
hiring
over
the
past
two
to
three
years.
The
one
exception
was
Germany,
but
even
there,
some
78%
of
those
surveyed
said
the
same.

Which
security
professionals
would
be
affected
by
layoffs?

When
asked
how
layoffs
among
the
security
workers
would
play
out
should
they
be
required,
most
of
the
respondents
said
that
junior
staff
would
be
affected
at
the
highest
rate,
followed
by
senior
team
members,
managers
and
then
cybersecurity
executives.

Other
criteria
would
factor
into
the
decision
regarding
whom
to
lay
off,
with
performance
cited
by
50%
of
the
respondents,
expertise
and
skill
set
by
50%,
followed
by
a
redundancy
of
skills,
diversity
and
team
composition,
and
then
salary.

SEE:

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device
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Impact
would
extend
beyond
job
cuts

Beyond
the
possibility
of
job
cuts,
a
recession
would
impact
cybersecurity
professionals
in
other
ways.
Among
those
surveyed,
41%
said
that
their
security
teams
might
be
affected
by
a
greater
use
of
automation,
while
40%
expected
that
team
members
would
be
asked
to
work
longer
hours.
An
economic
downturn
would
also
lead
to
the
hiring
of
more
entry-level
and
junior-level
staff
as
well
as
a
freeze
on
raises
and
promotions.

In
short,
the
heavy
demand
for
skilled
and
qualified
cybersecurity
pros
won’t
shield
such
workers
from
the
impact
of
a
recession
and
job
cuts,
but
the
fallout
is
likely
to
be
less
severe
than
for
other
professions.

“The
importance
placed
on
cybersecurity
professionals,
even
during
uncertain
economic
times,
suggests
that
top
executives
understand
the
critical
need
for
a
strong
cybersecurity
team
now
more
than
ever,”
(ISC)²
CEO
Clar
Rosso
said
in
a
press
release.
“This
is
not
surprising
given
the
upward
trend
in
recent
years
where
a
weakening
economy
combined
with
political
tensions
has
led
to
increased
cyber
threats.
A
key
test
for
executives
in
2023
will
be
their
ability
to
sustain
their
commitment
toward
strengthening
their
organizations’
resilience
against
evolving
cyberthreats
amid
emerging
budgetary
pressures.”

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next:

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