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SCI Feature: Why Cyber Security is a Good Career in Switzerland?

27.09.2022
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As Switzerland’s tech industry booms, industry experts are needed more than ever to navigate risks and keep information secure. Switzerland is a country that has developed a unique business environment making it stable in a complex world. In fact, based upon world-class research institutions and investments in research and development (R&D), the country has successfully cultivated an ecosystem of innovation. On the other hand, you should have heard of the high quality of life and high salaries in Switzerland, particularly the salaries in the cyber security field. Did this make you dream of working in Switzerland? Get ready to learn more about why cyber security is an excellent career in Switzerland.

 

What does working in Switzerland look like?

 

Switzerland has a low unemployment rate. How low, you may ask. The Swiss unemployment rate declined to around 3% in May 2021 from 3.7% in January 2021. Although the cost of living is relatively high compared to most other countries globally, wages allow workers to save some income. Besides that, the contract job market in Switzerland is more flexible than in the majority of its neighboring countries. There are many contracting opportunities that offer higher rates and lower personal income tax rates.

 

 

Thanks to the country’s well-developed labor policies as well as a stable political system, global companies have based their functions in Switzerland. Some of these global names include Nestlé, ABB Group, Novartis, Migros, Roche, UBS, Credit Suisse, Holcim, and Google. Do you know what this translates into? Of course, tremendous job opportunities.

The skills shortage continues to increase

 

Workforce shortage still remains a problem in Switzerland. The talent shortage refers to the disparity between what employers need and what available employees have to offer. In 2021, Manpower conducted a survey on talent shortage where nearly 40.000 employers from 43 countries partook. Results are shocking: 83% of Swiss employers reported difficulties in filling vacancies with suitable candidates. The deficit of skilled workers especially impacted the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. These facts indicate that talent shortage is a growing problem in Switzerland, leaving a tangible impact on businesses throughout the country.

The ramifications could be substantial for knowledge-intensive sectors like ICT. Swiss Cyber Institute believes that technological advancements cannot convey the promised productivity growth if there is a huge talent crisis. According to Forbes, we are in a massive cyber security crisis, missing an entire army of people to combat cybercriminals.

 

 

 

Looking several years back, Swiss employers were able to select from a large pool of job applicants, nonetheless, it is the other way around now. Simply put, the relationship between companies and employees has changed.

McKinsey says that companies have to develop their talent strategies with the same scope of attention as their business strategies. We would add that it is an employee’s market, hence companies need to invest in their employees to retain the best talent. Our suggestion is to enhance the transparency of your current employee skill sets, consider adjusting career pathing strategies to stimulate flexible career progression, and lastly, re-evaluate the alignment of skills with your business strategy.

Who is hiring cyber security professionals in Switzerland?

 

The answer may come across as an overstatement, but everyone is hiring cyber security specialists! All businesses, regardless of their sizes, hold proprietary information which needs to be safeguarded. They also have the personal information of their workers, clients, third-party vendors, and business partners to protect. All other industries, including communications, health, transportation, media, and banking, has IT systems that require protection.

If a company uses the internet or a network to execute its tasks, it needs cyber security professionals. In a world where cyberattacks are happening every 39 seconds, cyber security is indeed fundamental to sustaining good business in the long run.

 

 

Why cyber security is a good career in Switzerland?

 

Cyber security is one of the fastest-growing areas in Switzerland’s tech industry and there is a huge demand for jobs. Organizations all across the country are being impacted by technological evolution and need to continuously boost their cyber security capabilities. Inarguably, this tendency is giving remarkable rise to the demand for cyber security professionals.

Cyber security professionals work in diverse areas and carry out important roles. Some of these roles include ensuring our medical information remains private, preventing ransomware attacks, safeguarding our financial assets, protecting our identities, and even defending our nation. Every cyber security employee has a role to play, therefore they have to be educated and trained.

But what precisely makes cyber security a perfect career in Switzerland? First of all, cyber security offers unprecedented growth potential. There are endless opportunities to stay engaged and challenged throughout your career. Cyber security keeps on evolving, and the demand for cybersecurity experts is far outperforming the supply.

As long as you are determined to add new skills and knowledge into your arsenal, job security in the cyber security field is guaranteed. What if we tell you that the number of vacant cyber security positions will hike up to 1.8 million by 2022? This is 20% up from 1.5 million in 2015.

 

Secondly, who would say ‘no’ to a competitive salary? Since the supply is lower than demand, the competitive salary will be higher and companies are offering good salaries to entice their prospective candidates. After all, offering good salaries is an important part of businesses finding employees who can best help them meet their goals. Like in any other field, there are several factors that could affect the rates of your salary. Some of these include the level of your expertise, job title, and geographic area you want to work in. Cyber security salaries in Switzerland typically range from CHF 64,500, which is the lowest average, to CHF 203,000, the highest average. Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?

Last but not definitely least, a career in cyber security is about more than the money. Yes, we know that money is a great incentive, but a cyber security career offers you extra benefits for your personal growth. Our advice is that never shy away from updating and increasing your skills. How about starting with 3 cyber security career advice no one tells you?

All in all, a career in cyber security is really hard work, but it is financially and personally rewarding where you will enjoy a competitive salary, job security, and many opportunities. Given the 3 factors above, cyber security turns out to be an excellent career in Switzerland.

Leverage the talent shortage to better your cyber security career

 

The talent shortage is real. The problem is simple, there are not enough people with the required cyber security skills to meet the demand. The good news is that greater demand would lead to greater opportunities. 

So we want to ask you: Is your company experiencing talent shortages? Are you really investing in your talent? If you do not know where to start, we got you covered.

Get strategic in your approach to talent upskilling and go through a federal cyber security program – Cyber Security Specialist With Swiss Federal Diplomaand ICT Security Expert with Swiss Federal Diploma – which will help you turn your workforce into a true force.

Pasha Abdulov

Swiss Cyber Institute Cybersecurity Writer and Content Marketer

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