By: Danny Clark

CyberSeek, Lightcast, and the Computing Technology Industry Association, released new data on the cybersecurity workforce in October. 

The organization takes data provided by NIST to create interactive tools for employers, educators, and students to better understand career opportunities in cybersecurity and demystify the relationship between job seekers and employers. The tools help explain career pathways, link certificates and education with expected salaries, and highlight projected areas of need. 
 

The October released statistics include the number and type of cybersecurity job openings for 2023, illustrating the need for expanding the cybersecurity workforce and the abundance of opportunities the sector holds for young people. 
 

For several years demand for cybersecurity positions has been high, with just under 600,000 job openings throughout the United States (US). Nationally, the US has enough workers to fill only 72% of cybersecurity jobs. 
According to CyberSeek, employment in the cybersecurity workforce has increased by 59% while job openings have increased by 74% from 2010 to 2023. 
 

The top states holding job openings are Virginia, California, Texas, Maryland, and Florida- which combined have about 200,000 cybersecurity job openings. Outside of those job centers, every state is experiencing increased demand for cybersecurity positions than available cybersecurity workers - excluding West Virginia- which has approximately the same number of jobs and workers. 
 

The data divulges how several states have as many as one opening for every two workers, including Virginia and Maryland. Similarly, nearly every major city has more job openings than cybersecurity workers, including New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Dallas. 
 

Cybersecurity jobs are in demand nearly everywhere a youth is interested in living.
 

CyberSeek also tracks job openings by the type of roles. Many of the job openings are entry-level positions, like vacancies for IT auditors and cybersecurity specialists. Opportunities expand with mid- and advanced-level positions, with over 50,000 openings for roles such as cybersecurity engineer that pay about $130,000 on average. 
 

Educators and counselors can use CyberSeek to look up the number of job opportunities in city or state in the ‘Heat Map.’ Additionally, educators and counselors can use the ‘Career Pathway’ page to share with young people the promising career prospects in cybersecurity. 
 

To learn more about apprenticeship opportunities in cybersecurity, sign up with CYAI!