UK cybersecurity workers earn an average of £87,204 a year, with 18% earning £150,000 or more. However, 55% lie awake at night with stress – more than last year. Workers see AI as both a threat and a solution.

Britain’s cybersecurity workers are earning more than ever after significant wage growth in recent years, even outpacing inflation, a new report has claimed. Figures from the Chartered Institute of Information Security paint a positive picture for cybersecurity professionals given the tough current financial landscape. However, they’re also facing higher stress levels and job pressures than before.

UK cybersecurity professionals are now earning an average of £87,204 a year – more than double the national average of £34,900.

Cybersecurity pays well. Since the Chartered Institute of Information Security’s first report in 2016/17, the industry’s salaries have risen by 29%, which is more than inflation in the same period. Accounting for inflation, salaries have risen a healthy 7% since then. Top-tier earners also saw greater potential for economic boosts, with nearly one in five (18%) taking home more than £150,000, compared with 7% when the study first started.

However, the financial gain comes at a significant personal cost, with more than half (55%) admitting that job-related stress keeps them awake at night, a climb of five percentage points from last year’s study. Four in ten (39%) also shared fears about serious health impacts, like a heart attack. Around one in five (21%) cybersecurity professionals confirmed that they felt overworked, with the ongoing skills shortage adding to their pressure. In fact, people issues like staffing and skills were raised by 72% of respondents – far more than those who mentioned operational (17%) and technological (11%) concerns.

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Besides the lack of people, cybersecurity workers noted a lack of diversity, highlighting that only one in ten are women. “If the cybersecurity industry wants to attract and keep its talent, it must diversify recruitment practices, hiring based on skills rather than experience or qualifications,” noted CIISEC CEO Amanda Finch.

Moreover, the study detailed a mixed response to AI’s role in the industry – 89% see it as benefiting adversaries, while 71% acknowledge its potential for defending networks. However, this is just one of many studies to highlight the lack of policies to manage AI-related risks, with 44% stating that their company needs one. Finch added: “The security industry needs to build knowledge of the threats posed by AI – particularly GenAI – while it’s still in its relative infancy.”

Original Author: Craig Hale | Source: TechRadar