When it comes to the cyber job gap, California ranks second. The demand for cyber professionals in California is driven by Silicon Valley, Microsoft, and hundreds of other technological corporations and startups. Other states with over 13,000 open positions include Maryland, Texas, Florida, New York, North Carolina, and Illinois.
Why is it So Hard to Fill these Jobs?
Because many of these positions have stringent qualifications, they are difficult to fill. Government contractors are a major source of these positions, and security clearances and certifications are frequently stipulated in contracts. When a post requires a security clearance (such as Secret, Top Secret, or Top Secret), the pool of qualified applicants is small. The clearance procedure can take up to two years to complete. Given this, finding someone who already has a clearance is absolutely vital. Companies rarely have the option of hiring someone who does not have the necessary security clearance and then waiting years for the clearance procedure to be completed. When a post necessitates certification – which it nearly always does – the pool of candidates is similarly limited. IT certifications such as the CISSP need five years of on-the-job experience as well as a difficult exam that only around half of candidates pass the first time. Other certifications are as difficult and necessitate months of focused study. As a result, many of these positions are unable to be filled and will remain unfilled. Recruiters are aggressively looking for cybersecurity candidates on LinkedIn and attempting to entice them with lucrative job offers and other promises. Salaries in the six-figure range are the norm.
Scarcity will continue
Employers looking to fill these positions face a bleak future. On the other hand, cybersecurity specialists have a wide range of options. Employers understand that they must keep their cyber employees pleased because they can walk out the door the next day and work for another company.
