Competency Requirements for the Juniors in the Finnish Cybersecurity Service and Consultancy Business

Abstract

Fresh graduates or career changers face challenges entering the competitive cybersecurity job market. Cybersecurity is evolving rapidly, and even professionals must put in extra effort to keep themselves updated and competent. Most existing studies on the competency requirements in the Finnish job market are based on surveys, literature reviews, and trends, and in-depth work-life skills analysis is limited. This phenomenon makes Finnish higher education institutes’ work challenging because they need to train graduates for the local, European and global job markets with relevant work-life skills, and in-depth input from the workforce is essential. This study aims to find more in-depth input from the work-life. It identifies the work-life skills required in the cybersecurity service and consultancy business, particularly for junior-level positions available to fresh graduates in the Finnish job market. The case study is based on in-depth interviews with eight representatives from five companies that offer cybersecurity services in Finland. The interviewees had 5 to 24 years of working experience and represented positions ranging from technical experts to directors. The data was analyzed using an AI-aided analysis methodology, the enhanced European Joint Research Center Cybersecurity Taxonomy and the European Catalogue of Soft Skills References to ensure a comprehensive and job market-compliant outcome covering hard and soft skills. The results show that traditional cybersecurity competencies, including software, hardware, and network security, are still the most valued in the hard skills category. Still, incident handling and information security management skills are essential as well. Employers highly value soft skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. In summary, Finnish higher education institutes should ensure that both skill categories are covered in their training programs.