Canada's cybersecurity crisis: a growing shortfall of skilled workers

Canada is facing a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals, with estimates suggesting a shortfall of 25,000 to 30,000 qualified workers – a figure projected to balloon to 100,000 by 2035. The persistence of this labour gap weakens the country's capacity to defend against cybersecurity threats.

Expanding foreign talent a possible solution

One potential way to address the shortage is to expand the recruitment of skilled foreign workers. While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced a shift in the Express Entry system's focus from the technology sector, cybersecurity remains a high-demand field for foreign applicants.

The underrepresentation of diverse talent

However, the cybersecurity sector's workforce is dominated by white men, with racialized immigrants making up the majority of IT sector workers but remaining underrepresented in cybersecurity. Women, particularly racialized women, face even more significant barriers to integration and career progression.

A recent study of foreign-born cybersecurity professionals in Canada found that while these individuals brought strong educational backgrounds and transferable skills, their career advancement was often hindered by factors like language and cultural adjustment challenges, a lack of mentorship, and stereotypical expectations within the male-dominated industry.

Exclusionary barriers and stereotypes

Participants described daily work experiences shaped by systemic barriers and stereotypical assumptions. Many reported struggling to balance their professional and personal lives due to demanding workloads and the need for constant technical skill updates. Women with foreign accents frequently felt interrupted or unheard in team meetings.

For racialized immigrant women, the intersection of their citizenship status, cultural background, and gender often led to exclusion from non-technical roles and marginalization in day-to-day work interactions. Experiences of discriminatory behaviour from male colleagues were common, with women facing strain in prioritizing work over family while navigating workplace relationships.

A crisis of inclusion

The layered realities of exclusion – stemming from overlapping forms of discrimination, citizenship status, and cultural background – highlight the need for deeper, systemic changes to support immigrant employees. Simply implementing diversity initiatives is not enough; the sector must adopt measures that meaningfully promote equity and retention.

Leadership plays a crucial role, with women in top positions serving as change agents in shifting workplace culture and advocating for underrepresented groups. Federal and provincial governments can support these changes by embedding equity goals into immigrant selection and labour standards, and providing early and predictable pathways to permanent residency.