Cybersecurity industry still faces substantial jobs deficit

Cybersecurity professionals remain in high demand, according to a new report.

CyberSeek, in partnership with tech jobs organizations CompTIA, Lightcast, and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), reported that there’s a 315,000-position cybersecurity jobs deficit in the US just to meet current demand. That number is in addition to the 1.1 million jobs already filled.

From September 2022 to August 2023, there were a total of 572,392 job postings for cybersecurity positions. That’s a slightly lower number than reported from April 2022 to May 2023, which is encouraging, but the deficit is still daunting.

As IT Brew reported, September jobs numbers for the tech industry dipped slightly amid an overall strong jobs report. That doesn’t mean the sector is in trouble—tech unemployment, at 2.2%, is a good deal lower than the national rate of 3.8%—but it does indicate some restructuring.

Cybersecurity is still helping to drive the job market in Washington, DC, which posted the most positions in September among US cities. CompTIA chief research officer Tim Herbert told IT Brew that the city leads the way in part because of the security needs of the region.

“There is a pretty stable base of employers here, especially when you think about all of the defense contractors, all of the big consulting firms,” Herbert said. “And it reflects the ongoing demand for cybersecurity that always shows up as a pretty significant component of hiring in the Washington, DC, region.”

Will Markow, vice president for applied research at Lightcast, said in a statement accompanying the CyberSeek numbers that to close the jobs deficit, organizations that want to hire staff will have to take a look-outside-the-box approach.

“The cybersecurity talent gap has narrowed slightly, but companies must still shift their thinking to focus on cyber skills, rather than credentials, to really get the talent they need,” Markow said. “Focusing on skills not only expands and diversifies the talent pool by reaching more workers, it also allows employers to target their training programs and take ownership of their cybersecurity talent pipeline.”

CyberSeek data has shown a steady demand for cybersecurity professionals, with an average of 45,000 sector job postings each month since May 2023.