Belgium faces severe shortage of cybersecurity experts
Belgium’s cybersecurity sector has expanded rapidly, growing by two-thirds between 2021 and 2024 and creating thousands of new jobs. Yet despite the boom, the country is struggling to find enough qualified talent, technology federation Agoria warns.
A recent study shows there are 9,750 full-time positions in the field, up from 6,405 four years ago. Of these, 1,170 roles remain unfilled. Across all industries, an estimated 4,000 cybersecurity specialists are urgently needed.
The sector’s vacancy rate stands at 12.4 per cent, more than double that of the wider IT industry at 5.4 per cent. This is despite an increase in training programmes in recent years.
“The few hundred graduates entering the workforce each year are nowhere near enough,” said Saskia van Uffelen, Agoria’s Future Workforce manager. “We need stronger partnerships with universities and colleges, and cybersecurity must be embedded much earlier in education.”
Agoria expects the demand to keep climbing. The federation forecasts the industry’s turnover will double by 2030, up from 2.61 billion euros in 2023 and 1.58 billion euros in 2021.
The offices of Nexova, a cybersecurity company in Libin © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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