The talent gap trap

Originally published in the  

Why Canada’s Cybersecurity Job Market Is Failing Entry-Level Professionals

Canada’s cybersecurity industry often touts the urgent need for more talent. Reports warn of growing threats and a critical workforce shortage. Yet, for many job seekers, especially recent graduates or newcomers to Canada, the door into the industry remains tightly shut.

This contradiction isn’t just frustrating. It’s systemic. And for talented individuals like Dag Emmanuel Ankrah and Mehul Singh, it’s deeply discouraging.

The Talent Gap Paradox

“There’s this cybersecurity talent gap,” said one interviewer, “but they’re looking for people with a lot more experience for most of the roles.” It’s a Catch-22: Entry-level roles increasingly ask for two to three years of experience, effectively disqualifying recent grads before they even apply. Dag, who holds a Master's degree in Information Security and Privacy and arrived in Canada in 2023, put it bluntly: “Many entry-level jobs are not very friendly for someone like me who doesn’t have a cybersecurity background at all… If the job posting says ‘2 years experience,’ that’s already a downside for me.”

Mehul, a cybersecurity analyst with international GRC experience at Shell PLC and Intact Financial, has faced similar barriers. Despite strong credentials, his resume doesn’t always seem to align with rigid job descriptions. “Their job description again did not match 100% with what I was hired to do. It makes you wonder, what are companies really looking for when they write these job ads?”

Internship Drought and the Confidence Gap

Internships are supposed to bridge the gap between education and work. But in Canadian cybersecurity, they’re scarce and often inaccessible, especially to newcomers.

“Even back in school, getting an internship was a big deal, a difficult thing,” said Dag. “I had to add cybersecurity components to my part-time job just to get some experience.”

Without that hands-on foundation, confidence can take a hit.

“When you don’t have hands-on experience, it’s difficult… you start to think, maybe I’m lacking in areas the industry actually uses.”  This isn’t just an emotional hurdle, it’s a structural problem. As Dag observed, a classmate who secured an internship quickly started learning real-world skills thanks to workplace mentorship. “There are experts there to train him and guide him.”

Ghosted by Automation

Beyond experience requirements, the hiring process itself can feel like a black hole.

“Ninety percent of the time, it's just an automated reply,” said Mahul. “When I see a name attached to an email, it’s like wow, a human actually saw my application.” Dag echoed this frustration: “There are some applications that I made that I haven’t heard back from, for months.” Even with three job offers from past interviews, Mahul finds it hard to get feedback or understand where his applications fall short. “I really have no clue. I don’t know where the hiccup is.”

The Resume Puzzle

Customizing a resume is standard advice. But when job postings seem detached from actual responsibilities, and roles require experience not gained in school, tailoring becomes an exercise in futility. “I can change a few keywords here and there,” said Mahul, “but my whole resume remains the same. The gist of it doesn’t change.” This mismatch between candidate background and posted requirements leads to wasted applications and wasted potential.

Is Canadian Experience Still a Barrier?

Though rarely mentioned explicitly, “Canadian experience” remains an unspoken filter. Mahul, who completed his Master’s in Canada and worked at Canadian firms, still wonders if his international background might be limiting his chances. But like many, he’s left to guess.

Fighting Back: Strategy in the Job Hunt

Both candidates aren’t sitting idle. They’re pursuing jobs across multiple channels—government job boards, LinkedIn, direct company websites, and broadening their scope beyond cybersecurity. Dag is applying to QA and IT support roles, while Mahul is networking through past colleagues and actively preparing for offensive security certifications. The common thread? Persistence and adaptability. “I’m not limiting myself,” said Dag. “If I can find a way into the tech field, I can always transition laterally.”

Declining Demand: The Quiet Backdrop

Behind all of this lies a more sobering trend: employer demand itself may be shrinking.

According to internal analytics from Canadian Cybersecurity Jobs, owned by the Canadian Cybersecurity Network, there has been a sharp decline in job postings:

• Job postings in the last 3 months are down by 29% compared to the previous 3 months.
• In the last 6 months, postings dropped by a staggering 68% compared to the 6 months prior.
• Year-over-year, the total number of job postings in the last 12 months has dropped significantly compared to the previous year.

These numbers highlight a contracting market. Employers are either freezing hiring, consolidating roles, or reducing investment in junior cybersecurity positions, often the very roles that could provide much-needed onramps for new talent.

Conclusion: It's Time to Bridge the Gap, For Real

Canada doesn’t have a talent shortage, it has a hiring system out of sync with the reality of new graduates and international professionals.

We need to rethink:

• What “entry-level” really means.
• How internships and co-ops are allocated.
• Why feedback loops are broken.
• And whether our obsession with “perfect resumes” is blinding us to raw potential.
  
  Organizations claim they’re struggling to hire cybersecurity professionals. If so, the solution isn’t just in searching harder. It’s in building real pathways, through inclusive hiring, hands-on training, and community support. Until that happens, we’re not solving the talent gap. We’re reinforcing it.

About: Francois Guay is the CEO of the Canadian Cybersecurity Network, Canada’s largest cybersecurity member network.