Abstract: Cybersecurity is closely linked to national politics, economic stability, and social order. In maintaining cybersecurity, talent is the key; however, China currently faces a massive shortage of cybersecurity professionals and region serves as the primary battleground for macro-level talent management. Focusing on the core question of “how to match the supply and demand of cybersecurity talent at the regional level”, this study utilizes semi-structured interview data and relevant research reports, and adopts the grounded theory. It extracts 67 initial concepts, 16 initial categories, and 5 main categories-namely foundational environment, development planning, cultivation systems, talent mobility, and matching effectiveness-to construct a “storyline” of regional cybersecurity talent supply-demand matching. The findings reveal that the foundational environment influences the development planning, cultivation systems, and talent mobility of cybersecurity professionals. To effectively cultivate and tap into talent and leverage their efficacy, relevant departments need to coordinate at all levels, constructing a composite knowledge system for cybersecurity talent and introducing regional talent incentive policies. This involves scientifically forecasting and planning talent development to formulate talent strategies. Furthermore, the talent cultivation system must focus on the process of identifying, nurturing, and developing various human resources widely existing in society through a series of activities, thereby transforming them into qualified talent. This study provides important theoretical and practical guidance for exploring pathways for talent support in China’s in-depth advancement of the “Cyber Power Strategy”.

Key words: cybersecurity talent, supply-demand matching, grounded theory, talent cultivation system, talent mobility