Forbes: To Help Tackle Workforce Shortage, Cybersecurity Needs To Address Unconscious Bias In Hiring

James Hadley, CEO of Immersive Labs, shares his thoughts on increasing diversity and tackling workforce shortage in cybersecurity in Forbes.

With racial injustice at the forefront of our newsfeeds, companies are not only looking to revamp how they approach diversity, equality and inclusion, but also how they recruit and hire to begin with. Smart, forward-thinking executives across the world need to recognize the unconscious bias that exists in the hiring process that causes managers to lean toward appointing people whose lives mirror their own. Cybersecurity is no different.

At the same time, the cybersecurity industry is facing a very real talent gap, with an expected shortfall of 3.5 million experts globally by 2021, according to research by Cybersecurity Ventures.  Our legacy approach to equipping people with the cybersecurity skills they need is broken and it is putting organizations at risk.

A crucial tool in addressing this shortfall is diversity. More than just an altruistic act, diversifying will allow the cybersecurity sector access to a far wider group of talented individuals. Even more importantly, however, diversifying the talent pool will provide the opportunity to bring on a wider range of ideas, backgrounds and creative minds onto your team. In a space which is all about outthinking your opponent, a greater range of nationalities, genders and economic backgrounds means more ideas and better defense.