IT & TECH

Cybersecurity Pays — The Skills Shortage Reshaping Scandinavian Careers

In the middle of an AI gold rush, the most lucrative skill in tech isn’t necessarily invention, but protection. Cybersecurity skills have become the Scandinavian salary booster that also buys peace of mind.

What Scandinavian Talent Wants Most

Across the Nordic IT market, priorities are shifting — but they’re clear. Salary increase ranks as the number-one goal in both Sweden and Norway: 39.8% of Norwegian IT professionals and 27.6% of Swedes list it first.

Employment security takes the third spot. After all, when flexibility and trust-based culture are already the norm, the next concern is ensuring that such an environment remains steady.

That pairing — earn more, stay secure — defines the Scandinavian mindset for 2025. And right now, no skill connects those dots more directly than cybersecurity, acting as a safety net for both employees and employers alike.

The Scandinavian Security Premium

Across the region, cybersecurity has moved from a niche specialism to a premium multiplier. In Sweden, cybersecurity expertise delivers an average ≈ SEK 75 000 salary uplift compared to peers without it.

In Norway, the same pattern appears under slightly different titles — enterprise architecture and IT strategy roles, where compliance and security intersect, trend ≈ NOK 75 000 above the national IT median.

When risk competence enters the conversation, pay follows. Security has become a cross-functional premium touching development, cloud, and architecture alike. In a market that rewards adaptability, few skills now offer a stronger return on professional investment.

Cybersecurity Isn’t the Only Rising Skill in the World of AI

One figure in the data stands out even more. According to Worko’s Salary & Preference Report 2025, professionals working with PowerApps and low-code platforms in Norway earn a record +NOK 220 000 premium — the single largest uplift in the entire dataset.

Behind that spike lies the same driver reshaping cybersecurity itself: AI-driven digitization. As automation spreads, organizations need talent that can both build securely and automate responsibly.

Together, these trends paint a clear picture: whether through secure development, enterprise architecture, or low-code modernization, the skills that reduce risk while enabling AI-powered growth now command the steepest salaries in Scandinavian tech.

A Market on Alert — and Short on Defenders

The numbers behind the headlines tell a story of urgency:

• 4.8 million cybersecurity professionals missing worldwide — a gap growing 19% every year (ISC2, 2024).
• 87% of companies report breaches directly linked to skill shortages (Fortinet, 2024).
• 97% of organizations say cyberattacks increased during the past year (Accenture, 2023).
• The cost of cybercrime is forecast to surpass USD 10 trillion by 2025 (FBI IC3 via Reuters, 2024).

Every statistic points in the same direction: there are too few defenders for too many targets. The result: professionals who can design, secure, and audit digital infrastructure now find themselves in the highest-demand corner of the job market. In cybersecurity, competence has become currency.

From Regulation to Pay Rise

Regulation is now accelerating that demand. In Europe, the NIS2 Directive requires organizations to demonstrate security controls and report incidents within days.

In the U.S., the SEC’s four-day rule puts cybersecurity breaches in the same category as financial disclosures — a signal that cyber risk is now board-level accountability.

Boards are responding accordingly: 97% now classify cybersecurity as a business priority (Fortinet, 2024).

As oversight tightens, the professionals who can prove control — from MFA coverage and EDR rollout to tested recovery plans — are the ones whose pay will likely rise fastest.

The Skills That Pay — How to Upskill for Cybersecurity in 2025

The cybersecurity field is vast, but the skills that drive pay increases in Scandinavia share one thing in common: they bridge technical depth with business impact.

For developers:
• Secure coding and DevSecOps frameworks (e.g., OWASP, container security).
• Cloud security on AWS, Azure, or GCP — now standard in modern infrastructure.

For architects and system leads:
• Identity and access management (IAM).
• Zero Trust design and compliance alignment with NIS2 or ISO 27001.

For IT strategists and managers:
• Incident response planning and regulatory reporting (CSRD, NIS2).
• Cyber risk quantification — translating threats into measurable business risk.

For all professionals entering the field:
• Vendor-neutral certifications like CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, or CISSP are the fastest on-ramps to credibility.
• Adding cybersecurity elements to existing roles (e.g., automation with PowerApps + secure workflows) multiplies your market value without switching careers entirely.

In the Nordic market, the strongest career moves are often additive, not disruptive. Upskilling in security doesn’t mean leaving your field, but rather making yourself indispensable within it.

Why Cybersecurity Is a Smart Career Move in 2025

For Scandinavian professionals, cybersecurity offers a twofold return: higher pay from proven demand, and greater stability from skills too critical to automate or outsource. Certifications, risk-anchored projects, or documented control improvements can shift a career’s trajectory dramatically. In a market where proof carries weight, cybersecurity is the competence that keeps paying dividends — year after year.

Worko's Take

Worko’s data confirms what the market already signals: security competence adds roughly ≈ SEK/NOK 75 000 per year to mid-career IT roles. Cybersecurity has evolved into both an economic and strategic multiplier — driving salary growth and employment security in tandem.

For candidates, it’s the smartest upskill of 2025. For employers, it’s proof of resilience in an age defined by digital risk. In Scandinavian tech, protection has officially become one of the most valuable products.