If the United States is going to deal with the cybersecurity talent shortage, we’ve got to get specific about where the jobs are and what workers need to do to get them—and that’s what the Cyberseek.org website is designed to do.
Cyberseek, which launched today, was built by Burning Glass and CompTIA and funded by a grant from the National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education. The site uses data from Burning Glass, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and certification providers to provide an interactive map where you can drill down on the demand for cybersecurity talent in more than 300 metropolitan statistical areas, including the supply of available workers and certifications in demand.
Another section of the site offers a feature we think is critical to filling these jobs: an interactive career pathways map. Very often workers don’t have the tools to figure out the next steps on the career ladder, or the specific skills they need to acquire. Career pathways, based on real-life career patterns, show aspiring cybersecurity workers exactly what they need to do. The Career Pathway incorporates job categories from the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, which provides a common language to describe cybersecurity work.
The cybersecurity skills gap has been persistent—and potentially dangerous. Burning Glass research has shown that demand for cybersecurity talent is far outstripping supply, particularly as retailers and other businesses realize they need to shore up their defenses. For example, there are 128,000 openings for Information Security Analysts, but only 88,000 workers currently employed in those positions – a talent shortfall of 40,000 workers for cybersecurity’s largest job, according to Burning Glass. Jobs requesting cloud security skills remain open 96 days on average, which is longer than any other IT skill.
You can find the site at cyberseek.org.
The post Cyberseek: A Map to Solving the Cybersecurity Skills Gap appeared first on Burning Glass Technologies.