National security at risk as essential cybersecurity roles face sharp decline

BOSTON, April 18, 2024 -- In a recent U.S. Cybersecurity Job Posting Data Report, CyberSN highlights a concerning trend that could impact national security: significant declines in job postings for critical cybersecurity roles.

The report, a key indicator of the health of the cybersecurity labor market, reveals alarming drops in roles essential for maintaining organizational and national cyber defenses.

Key Findings:

• Overall there has been a 22% decrease in cybersecurity job postings in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023.
• Insider Threat Analysts: Job postings decreased by 62%.
• Product Security Engineers: Job postings have plummeted by 57%.
• DevSecOps: Job postings have dropped by 43%.
• Security Engineers: Despite being the most posted role with 67,456 listings, there is a 21% decrease from the previous year.

Deidre Diamond, Founder & CEO of CyberSN, emphasized the national security implications: "The sharp decline in job postings for Product Security Engineers and DevSecOps in particular represents a direct threat to our national cybersecurity infrastructure. These roles are vital for developing secure products and integrating security throughout the development process, and their reduction is alarming."

Dom Glavach, Chief Security & Technology Officer at CyberSN, stated, "The job posting information highlights the broader economic pressures and regulatory changes shifting strategic priorities creating potential and inadvertent cyber resilience debt for companies. The fluctuations in open positions suggest organizations are focusing more on the immediate threat response and high-level security strategy to accomplish regulatory compliance."

Emerging Trends and Concerns:

• Response Roles: Saw the largest growth with a 100% increase in job postings, indicating a shift towards reactionary measures rather than preventative strategies.
• Research Roles: Experienced the most significant decline at 69%, suggesting a move away from proactive threat analysis and mitigation.

About the Report:

The CyberSN U.S. Cybersecurity Job Posting Data Report analyzes job postings across the United States to identify trends and shifts in the cybersecurity labor market. The 2024 report reveals both declines and increases in various cybersecurity roles, underscoring the evolving landscape and the ongoing challenges in talent acquisition and retention.