Philippines faces shortage of 180,000 cybersecurity professionals
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — As cyber threats intensify, the National Association of Data Protection Officers (NADPOP) highlighted the urgent need for 180,000 cybersecurity experts in the Philippines.
These professionals are essential to safeguard 10% of companies in healthcare, finance, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and utilities, including water, electricity, and telecommunication.
NADPOP President Sam Jacob commented on the talent pool, saying, “Ang mga Pilpino magagaling talaga, world-class pero kulang talaga. Ngayon, napakadaling maghanap ng trabaho. Kahit hindi sila umalis ng Pilipinas ay nagtatrabaho sila sa ibang companies dahil online. (Filipinos are world-class, but we lack talent. Now it’s very easy to find a job. You can work remotely for overseas companies without leaving the Philippines).”
In the first six months of 2023 alone, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) detected 5,000 cyber threats in the nation.
Given this backdrop, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has cautioned that vulnerabilities in the Philippines’ cybersecurity could jeopardize its BPO industry.
Secuna, a cybersecurity testing platform, called on companies and governmental bodies to reassess their cybersecurity strategies. Similarly, the Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team (PH-CERT) emphasized the importance of investing in cybersecurity infrastructure, training, and enhancing collaboration in cyberattack investigations.
“What we have been pushing is for them to share information at a technical level. We don’t need the identities of the companies if they can only provide us with the technical information so that we can learn from the technical information,” said PH-CERT President Lito Averia.
