AI Skills Gaps and Workforce Shortages: Insights from the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study

The cybersecurity landscape has never been more perilous, yet many organizations are ill-equipped to defend themselves. Hiring freezes and budget cuts are leaving security teams vulnerable, struggling to manage escalating threats with diminishing resources.

Despite a flat growth rate in the cybersecurity workforce, the demand for skilled professionals has surged. The recently released 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study revealed that SOC teams continue to face the challenge of identifying ways to protect their environments amidst shrinking teams, higher workloads, and reduced response capabilities.

In this blog, we’ll explore key insights from the ISC2 study, focusing on the critical issues impacting SOC teams—from AI skill gaps to workforce shortages—and how they can navigate the volatile threat landscape.

While automation and AI tools have the potential to revolutionize SOC operations, their effectiveness hinges on the skills and expertise of the human analysts who use them. Despite AI's potential to enhance efficiency, it’s not replacing the need for skilled human oversight. The study revealed a 19% increase in the global cybersecurity workforce gap, now standing at 4.76 million unfilled positions. This widening gap underscores the urgency to bolster cybersecurity defenses, with a staggering 10.2 million professionals needed to meet global demand.

For SOC teams, this talent shortage creates overburdened staff and escalates operational risks, as existing personnel are forced to shoulder overwhelming workloads. The shortage is particularly acute in areas like incident response and zero-trust architecture—two critical components of SOC operations. Addressing this shortfall requires not only hiring more professionals but also enhancing internal training programs to equip staff with the necessary skills to handle modern threats.

According to the report, 59% of cybersecurity professionals claim that skills gaps have impacted their ability to secure their organizations, with 58% stating that these gaps put their organizations at significant risk. On top of that, 67% of respondents say they faced a staffing shortage this year.

These factors can result in longer incident response times and increased vulnerability to attacks. Automation tools, including AI, can alleviate some of the operational strain, but they must be deployed strategically. Organizations should focus on integrating AI systems that automate routine tasks while allocating human analysts to high-priority, complex incident response. In essence, SOC managers need to balance the deployment of technology with ongoing investment in human capital, ensuring that teams have the expertise to both manage automated systems and handle complex, nuanced incidents that require human judgment.

Seventy-four percent of security professionals consider the current threat landscape to be the worst they’ve faced in the past five years. This heightened level of concern emphasizes the increasing complexity and volume of cyber threats with which SOC professionals must contend. The study also points to the growing pressure on SOCs to maintain high levels of vigilance and resilience in the face of mounting threats, especially as attacks target critical infrastructure and exploit vulnerabilities in widely used technologies.

SOC managers must ensure their teams are equipped to navigate this turbulent landscape. This includes investing in advanced threat detection tools, such as AI-native platforms, and fostering a culture of continuous learning to keep up with new attack vectors. As threats continue to escalate, SOC teams will need to maintain a proactive stance, anticipating and mitigating risks before they compromise organizational security.

With AI becoming an increasingly critical component in threat detection, response, and predictive analysis, the demand for cybersecurity professionals proficient in AI tools and methodologies is surging. According to the study, more than one-third of cybersecurity teams report significant gaps in AI expertise. This is particularly concerning for SOC teams, where rapid and accurate threat identification can hinge on AI-driven automation.

AI can streamline many SOC functions, such as anomaly detection and automated incident response, but a lack of skilled personnel limits organizations' ability to fully capitalize on these tools. Teams without the necessary AI expertise may struggle to fully leverage these technologies, leaving organizations exposed to preventable threats. To bridge this gap, SOC managers should prioritize upskilling current staff through targeted AI training programs and collaborate with HR to ensure that AI proficiency becomes a key criterion for future hires.

While approximately 33% of cybersecurity professionals identify AI skills as critical to their operations, only 12% of hiring managers rank AI expertise as a top priority when recruiting new talent. This disconnect highlights a misalignment between the perceived importance of AI within SOC teams and organizational hiring strategies.

AI has the potential to significantly improve SOC operations, from automating repetitive tasks to providing advanced threat intelligence. However, without strategic hiring practices that emphasize AI proficiency, organizations may struggle to deploy these technologies effectively. SOC leaders should advocate for hiring strategies that align more closely with operational needs, ensuring AI capabilities are well-integrated into both the team’s skillset and the broader cybersecurity infrastructure.

The potential of AI in cybersecurity is met with significant optimism among professionals, with 54% acknowledging its promise to enhance the field overall. However, 45% of respondents highlighted the absence of a well-defined AI strategy as a primary obstacle to organizational adoption. This strategic gap presents a substantial challenge, hindering the ability of companies to fully leverage AI's capabilities while managing its risks.

To overcome these hurdles, organizations must establish a comprehensive and cohesive strategy that guides the integration and operational use of AI in cybersecurity frameworks. Encouragingly, once such strategies are in place, the anticipated impact is profound. Nearly 70% of professionals believe that within the next two years, they will be equipped to effectively incorporate AI into their roles to enhance threat detection, improve their ability to make decisions, and reduce costs for their organization.

As AI becomes more integrated into SOC operations, it’s crucial to recognize it as a tool that enhances, rather than replaces, the invaluable expertise of human analysts. The study notes that while AI can improve efficiency, it cannot fully substitute the critical thinking and contextual understanding that human analysts bring to the table.

SOC professionals must therefore focus on leveraging AI to augment their capabilities, using it to streamline routine tasks such as log analysis and low-level threat identification. This strategic deployment will allow human analysts to shift their focus toward high-impact incidents, applying critical judgment and contextual analysis where it matters most. Investing in AI training for SOC teams will ensure that these tools are used effectively, complementing rather than replacing human intelligence.

By addressing the skills gap, aligning hiring practices with operational needs, and investing in staff development, SOC teams can better position themselves to handle the cybersecurity challenges of today—and tomorrow.

Learn how Abnormal streamlines your SOC with Human Behavior AI. Schedule your demo.