The global cybersecurity skills gap reached 2.7 million in 2021. Australia requires an additional 7,000 practitioners in the cybersecurity sector alone by 2024, according to AustCyber. Given the growing awareness about the gains of diversity for organizational performance, decision-making and responsiveness to real-world challenges, the lack of skills and diversity in the cybersecurity sector also implies that the sector is not operating as optimally as it could.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in partnership with the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) is undertaking a new study to explore solutions to overcome pressing skills and diversity challenges in the Australian security sector, firstly by exploring important gender dimensions.