• 66% of firms hiring permanent employees and 64% are looking for interim or temporary staff to cope with GDPR
  • Analytics, regulatory knowledge and project management are the skills in high demand

London, 31 August 2017 – Research from leading recruitment specialist Robert Half UK has revealed that two-thirds (66%) of CIOs will hire additional, permanent employees to cope with the introduction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) next year. A further 64% of CIOs will hire temporary or interim staff to ensure they have the highly-skilled talent in place to manage the change in data management and reporting.

The new data protection legislation will reshape the way organisations approach data privacy, providing the public with more visibility into data breaches . As organisations concentrate on  compliance initiatives, demand for permanent project managers (33%), business analysts (26%) and data protection officers (26%) that oversee how data is processed, will increase.

With the legislative change drawing closer, businesses are recognising that a combination of soft and technical skills is key for the long-term implementation of GDPR. Knowledge of analytics (44%), regulation and compliance (39%), and project management (38%) will be imperative in implementing the changes. Strategic thinking (39%), communication skills (39%) and attention to detail (31%) are also required to ensure that compliance professionals can act as business leaders and play an effective role in influencing data practices and policies.

“GDPR is the latest piece of legislation to evolve the compliance and regulatory landscape in the UK and across Europe,” explained Phil Sheridan, Senior Managing Director at Robert Half UK, UAE and South America. “As demand for candidates with the required technical and project management skills reaches fever pitch, business should seek out those with the transferable skills required to ensure compliance. While GDPR certified practitioners are in short supply, project managers and business analysts with experience in MiFID ll and SOX, among others, with have the requisite skills to support, particularly on an interim and project basis.”

The type of role that businesses are recruiting for with GDPR will vary according to company size. Overall, 16% of SMBs see GDPR as a concern, compared to 12% of large business. SMBs are more likely to hire project managers (32%) to help with compliance while larger organisations are placing a greater focus on recruiting data protection officers (33%).

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Notes to editors

The study was developed by Robert Half UK and conducted by an independent research firm.  The study is based on more than 400 interviews with directors from companies across the UK.

Related content:

  • The C-suite guide to GDPR: what you need to know

Our general data protection regulation summary will help you gain a good understanding of the regulation itself and its potential affects, so you can plan more effectively.

About Robert Half

Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialised recruitment consultancy and member of the S&P 500. Founded in 1948, the company has over 325 offices worldwide providing temporary, interim and permanent recruitment solutions for accounting and finance, financial services, technology and administrative professionals. For more than 15 years, Robert Half has been named to FORTUNE® magazine’s list of “Most Admired Companies” and offers workplace and job seeker resources at roberthalf.co.uk and twitter.com/roberthalfuk.