WASHINGTON — The growing threat of ransomware attacks has Congress trying to build up the cybersecurity workforce.
It comes as the nation faces a shortage of cyber professionals because of burnout and stress.
“Consistently, cybersecurity workers leave more frequently than many other roles, even within information technology, which is already rife with many hiring challenges due to talent shortages,” said Will Markow, vice president of applied research advocacy at Lightcast.
The labor market analytics firm, Lightcast, tracked more than 660,000 cybersecurity job openings over the last 12 months alone.
“This means we are stepping on to the digital battlefield missing nearly a third of our army. The consequences of this talent shortage echo across around country,” Markow said.
Read: Jacksonville dentist Joel David, founder of David & Associates, dies at the age of 69
It’s an army that members from both parties want to grow quickly.
“We need not only enough people but the right people with the right skills, in the right jobs to meet the growing cyber threat,” said Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R – New York.
“We must continue to expand the federal government’s support for cybersecurity training while also tailoring efforts to align with the skills needed by private sector employers,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D – California.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
During this recent congressional hearing, industry leaders talked about a high demand for these roles, and the reasons for the workers shortage.
One theory is what researchers call the “expectations gap.” They explain some employers believe they must hire workers with many years of experience. However, experts recommend considering candidates based on skill level instead of credentials alone. Markow said this also approach has multiple benefits.
“The companies that we see with the best retention rates are the ones that are taking more of a skills-based approached to hiring as opposed to a credentials-based approach to hiring,” Markow said. “If we look at companies that are hiring workers with less than a bachelors’ degree, they had better retention rates. We look at companies hiring more a diverse workforce, they had better retention rates.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Other companies say they’re attracting younger people by offering training programs with more flexibility.
“You can’t sit them and say ‘You’re going to be a cyber defense analyst’ and that’s it. This rotational program is key to allowing them to see the different areas, specialties, roles that they can look at,” said Anjelica Dortch, senior director of U.S. Government Affairs at SAP.
Some companies are also recruiting more veterans who may have experience that transfers into this field.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Click Here For The Original Source.
