While the tech industry is experiencing an uptick in layoffs, the cybersecurity industry is still looking to hire experts.
Key Details
- As tech giants continue to announce thousands of worker layoffs, the demand for cybersecurity professionals has remained strong.
- Demand for cybersecurity experts grew by 25% in 2022, according to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education.
- While the cyber industry isn’t booming, it isn’t declining either. Companies are still on the lookout for cybersecurity engineers, cybersecurity analysts, penetration testers, and network security architects, Axios reports.
Why it’s news
More than 57,000 layoffs have been announced in the tech industries with more likely to come, but the number of cybersecurity employees has remained relatively steady over the last year.
Continuing demand for cyber workers is one bright spot in the tech industry amid a bout of layoffs. In 2022, employers had difficulty finding enough cybersecurity employees to fill the needed roles. For every 100 open positions, only about 68 were filled.
In order to meet current demand, the U.S. needs nearly 530,000 additional workers in the cybersecurity industry. While lack of workers to fill the roles may be a struggle for companies, it puts current cybersecurity personnel in a relatively safe position when layoffs are announced.
Entry-level workers could have a better chance at entering the cybersecurity industry as companies may begin to prioritize filling low-level positions that have lower salaries. The cyber industry can be difficult to break into, but desperation from companies could make it easier for beginners.
Without a bachelor’s degree, a potential cyber employee would only be qualified for about 10% of all cyber jobs. Workers with less than three years of experience have about 10% to 15% of roles available to them, Axios reports.
Experience and knowledge are needed in a job like cybersecurity, but by making entry-level positions difficult to find, companies are losing the chance to bring in the next generation of experts.
Hacks and online security breaches are becoming a greater concern for companies and emphasizing the importance of a strong cybersecurity personnel. While layoffs are likely to continue in tech, cybersecurity employees aren’t likely to be part of them.