Former state monopoly BT is on the hunt for 900 security bods to help it meet the "surge" in customer demand for those skills, following a number of high-profile security and data breaches.

The biz currently employs more than 2,500 security folk and reckons its security operations' annual revenues are growing at a double-digit rate.

"To meet the growing global demand for cybersecurity services and address the skills shortage in the sector, BT expects to take-on and train 170 graduates and apprentices, as part of its 900 recruitment intake in the next 12 months," said the company.

However, BT is not alone in its search for security talent. GCHQ is similarly trying – and failing – to attract bods.

The chancellor promised that 1,900 new recruits would be hired by the intelligence agencies by 2020 – however, sources at GCHQ have told The Register they don't know where the new talent will come from.

Robert Nowill, who began his career at GCHQ and now heads up Cyber Security Challenge UK, also said there is a "significant shortage of people in the UK to fill all the roles" across both the public and private sector.

Nevertheless, Mark Hughes, president of BT Security, remained upbeat about attracting staff.

He said: “A number of high-profile security and data breaches have dominated the headlines in recent months, and this has led to a surge in interest from both consumers and IT departments wanting to know how best they can protect themselves in the digital world."

The majority of the roles will be in the United Kingdom, with BT also looking to hire security specialists across Continental Europe, the Americas, the Middle-East and Asia-Pacific.

Good luck with that. ®