China's data security industry suffers talent supply gap

(ECNS) -- The talent supply gap in the data security industry is huge, said Wang Xiaoqun, CEO of HAYS, a world-leading recruiting group.

There are only about 20,000 graduates in cybersecurity each year, while the talent gap ranges from 500,000 to one million. “It's still a conservative estimate,” said Wang, “and the talent shortage is everywhere in the industry.”

To address the problem, the Chinese government has urged colleges and universities to set up majors to cultivate talents in data protection and information security, Wang said.

Inter-disciplinary talents who have knowledge of laws and regulations, governance, and risk assessment are the most popular among companies.

China officially issued the Data Security Law on Sept. 1 this year, another law in maintaining information and digital security following the Cybersecurity Law implemented in 2017. The two laws, together with the Personal Information Protection Law that is to come on Nov. 1, will lay a legal foundation for China’s big data strategy to ensure data security and development.