Experts across government agencies and private sector firms are weighing in on the government’s need to fill cybersecurity roles in the coming year. A report from September on the State of the Federal Cyber Workforce indicated that the government had almost 40,000 open positions for their cyber workforce. This represents just under six percent of the reported open cyber positions for the country as a whole so it’s not an alarming figure in and of itself.
What makes things tricky is that among public sector workers, 30% are over 55 years old and only six percent are under 30 years old. It’s pretty obvious that this group is very vulnerable to things like early retirements and isn’t built to create homegrown talent.
The government hasn’t been completely complacent, engaging in an apprenticeship sprint to create more openings for younger or less-seasoned workers. The experts interviewed by government technology trade website NextGov suggested that while apprenticeships might be a nice start, there are larger mentality shifts that are needed.
The interviewees, from Booz Allen Hamilton and data protection company Veeam, indicated that the government needs to be more flexible when evaluating their talent pool and in offering some accommodations that have become expected in the private sector, like a hybrid working environment. A change from hiring focused on the degrees of candidates and more toward aptitude and performance with on-the-job mimicking tasks. Introducing more candidates to the day-to-day of cyber professional roles can also make them realize that there is a place for them in the industry that they didn’t expect.
The government also has the advantage of being able to influence change in terms of position requirements or titles that can help avoid becoming hamstrung on needing a certain degree.
One expert suggested the government should even speak with cyber criminals to help uncover what drives those with some of these unique skills. To be fair, he backtracked quickly, offering that perhaps that would be more of a consulting engagement.
This is an area where the government needs to take action because of both the particular vulnerability of their workforce, but also because they have such a large target on their back. All indications show that the frequency and scale of cyberattacks are only growing so the backlog of positions needs to be filled quickly.
About the Author: Chris Mack
Chris is a Marketing Manager at Extract with experience in product development, data analysis, and both traditional and digital marketing. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in English from Bucknell University and has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. A passionate marketer, Chris strives to make complex ideas more accessible to those around him in a compelling way.