HIgh Demand for Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Roles Leaders Plan to Recruit in 2023

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By Hannah LaDuca

Technical Recruitment Specialist

In May of 2021, a single password was compromised and The Colonial Pipeline was the victim of a ransomware attack that impacted the digital equipment that managed the pipeline. Over the last two years, there has been an increase in phishing and ransomware attacks—61 percent of organizations had an increase of 25 percent or more in cyber threats or alerts since COVID-19 started. It’s no longer a case of IF your organization will be targeted, it’s now a matter of WHEN. The costs related to resolving a data breach also continue to rise. Companies spend a median of 37 days and around $2.4 million to find and recover from a breach.

As the number and sophistication of security breaches climb, the amount of legislation required to protect consumers has increased. In 2022, 40+ U.S. states introduced or considered more than 250 bills or resolutions that deal with cybersecurity. Because of this, the need for cybersecurity talent outpaces supply and it remains one of the most in-demand professions.

Cybersecurity Talent Demand

Check out these statistics:

  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 35 percent rate of growth for jobs in information security from 2021 to 2031.
  • Organizational demand for cybersecurity workers grew 2.4 times faster than the overall rate across the U.S. economy.
  • Nine of the 10 top months for cybersecurity job postings in the past 10 years have occurred in 2022.

“Demand for cybersecurity talent has been accelerating for years, and employers are showing no signs of taking their foot off the gas,” said Will Markow, Vice President of Applied Research at Lightcast. “That’s why it is more important than ever to build robust talent pipelines to ensure a safer digital world. We can’t accept leaving holes in our cybersecurity defenses simply because we don’t have enough trained workers to plug them.”

Top Open Cybersecurity Positions

U.S. employers listed 769,736 openings for cybersecurity positions or jobs requiring cybersecurity skills for the 12 months ending in September 2022. According to CyberSeek, these are the cybersecurity job titles with the most job openings currently:

Advanced-Level Roles

Cybersecurity Engineers identify threats and vulnerabilities in software and systems. They then develop and implement high-tech solutions to defend against all types of cybercrimes.  

  • Average salary: $113,758
  • Total U.S. job openings: 67,756

Cybersecurity Managers are responsible for observing all network operations and monitoring the channels in and out of the network. This includes all necessary software upgrades and maintenance.

  • Average salary: $136,236
  • Total U.S. job openings: 22,546

Mid-Level Roles

Cybersecurity Analysts work proactively to protect an organization’s valuable data—including hardware, software, and networks—by anticipating and defending against cyber threats.

  • Average salary: $107,500
  • Total U.S. job openings: 32,623

Penetration & Vulnerability Testersassess computer systems and perform penetration tests on an organization’s servers, networks, and applications. They often do this by purposefully attempting to exploit the company’s systems and networks.

  • Average salary: $101,662
  • Total U.S. job openings: 27,377

Entry-Level Roles

Incident & Intrusion Analysts investigate cybersecurity and network-related incidents. They work to diagnose the issues related to each breach or hacking event.

  • Average salary: $86,428
  • Total U.S. job openings: 9,559

Cybersecurity Specialists ensure hardware and software applications are updated, conduct vulnerability scans, and monitor network data. This role is responsible for securing the organization’s overall information technology systems.

  • Average salary: $106,810
  • Total U.S. job openings: 9,750

Cybersecurity jobs are taking 21 percent longer to fill than other IT roles. For every 100 job postings, there are only 66 workers to fill them. With decades of experience filling single positions and building entire IT teams, Acara has the resources and talent pipeline to assist your company find qualified cybersecurity talent. Contact a recruitment specialist today.

This blog was written by Acara’s Technical Recruitment Specialist Hannah LaDuca.