BSA 2024 Cyber Security Salary Guide v5 SPREADS - Flipbook - Page 11
11
Diversity and inclusion
In a 2022 report, the UK Government revealed that
diversity within the cyber security profession had
steadily improved every year for the last three years.
The 昀椀gures for ethnic diversity were particularly
encouraging, with 25% of all employees and 14%
of senior leaders coming from an ethnic minority
background. One in 10 cyber staff are also neurodivergent (6% in senior roles).
And while the gender split is overwhelmingly
male dominated, the percentage of cyber security
professionals who identify as female rose from 15%
to 22% between 2020 and 2022.
Sadly, some of this momentum was lost in 2023.
According to the government’s latest report,
only neurodivergent representation has improved,
climbing from 10% to 12%. But the percentage of
cyber security roles held by women and people
from ethnic minority backgrounds dropped to 17%
and 22%, respectively.
Our consultants have reported similar trends.
Employers appear to be placing less focus on
diversity and inclusion initiatives as they prioritise
昀椀lling key vacancies in a market with ongoing talent
shortages and tighter budgets.
Despite this, nearly three-quarters (73%) of staff
agree their organisation has built a diverse and
inclusive culture, while 81% of employers believe their
recruitment processes are designed to adequately
support equal opportunities.
The UK Government’s statistics also show that
40% of businesses that recruit people into cyber
roles have taken direct action to either modify their
recruitment processes or encourage more people
from diverse groups to apply for cyber security jobs.
