Cybersecurity trends: Demand for specialized skills

Upskill your team with the specialized skills that are growing in demand based on cybersecurity trends and the September 2024 Tech Jobs Report.

EnterpriseTechReport_Blog_Thumbnail ImageAs the business landscape continues to be shaped by the ever-evolving world of tech, it’s more important than ever to close skills gaps, boost your team’s tech knowledge, and understand the types of roles that are growing within the industry. With insights from cybersecurity employment trends and the latest CompTIA Tech Jobs Report showing an increasing demand for specialized skills, investing in training and upskilling your team can help your organization stay competitive, build stronger capabilities, and retain talented employees. 

Cybersecurity skills are in high demand

According to Cyberseek, from May 2023 through April 2024, there were only 85 cybersecurity workers available for every 100 cybersecurity jobs demanded by employers. There were also 469,930 openings requesting cybersecurity-related skills, including dedicated cybersecurity roles and roles in infrastructure, data, and software development. On average, it took 21% longer to fill cybersecurity roles than other IT positions. By sharpening your team’s security skills, you can build the talent you need, without the long, expensive process of hiring new team members.

 

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Upskill your team and protect your business with cybersecurity training solutions from CompTIA 

Cybersecurity measures, including advanced training for employees in your organization, help strengthen your company’s ability to prevent security incidents, data breaches, and losses of critical systems. A cybersecurity breach can be catastrophic for your company’s business outlook and its reputation in the industry. CompTIA offers a range of cybersecurity training and security options for upskilling your team, including CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) and CompTIA PenTest+.  

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)

CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) is designed to turn seasoned cybersecurity professionals into experts and give them the skills and knowledge to lead incident detection, prevention, and response through continuous security monitoring. 
 
Topics include: 

  • Security Operations – To improve processes in security operations and identify malicious activity 

  • Vulnerable Management – For implementing vulnerability assessments and making recommendations 

  • Incident Response and Management - Includes concepts of attack methodology frameworks and performing incident response activities 

  • Reporting and Communication – Covers communication best practices for action plans, escalation and metrics 

CompTIA PenTest+

CompTIA PenTest+ is the only training and certification on the market that covers all aspects of vulnerability management, including hands-on vulnerability assessment, scanning and analysis, as well as planning, scoping, and managing weaknesses.  

Topics include: 

  • Planning and Scoping – Covers techniques for governance, risk and compliance as well as scoping and organizational/customer requirements 

  • Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning - For passive/active reconnaissance, vulnerability scanning, and vulnerability management 

  • Attacks and Exploits – Includes approaches to expanded attack surfaces, researching social engineering techniques, performing attacks, and post-exploitation techniques. 

  • Reporting and Communication – Focuses on the importance of reporting and communication in an increased regulatory environment during the penetration testing process 

  • Tools and Code Analysis – For identifying scripts in various software deployments, analyzing script or code, and using various tools 

Get more insights into the specialized skills your company needs with the August 2024 Tech Jobs Report

Each month, our Tech Jobs Report provides a comprehensive overview of the current tech job market and opportunities across industry, location, role and experience level. It offers valuable insights for companies looking to navigate the evolving landscape of tech employment and optimize their training strategies.  

Tech employment remained flat last month, but the demand for specialized skills is on the rise 

While tech employment overall decreased by just 0.4% in August, there were 211,000 new tech job postings for a total of just over 500,000 total active tech job postings. The 3.4% unemployment rate in tech also remains below the 4.2% overall U.S. unemployment rate. There was also an increase in job postings for specialized roles, including software developers and data-related positions. Below you’ll find more key highlights from the September 2024 report based on data from the previous month. 

Tech job postings by role

  • Software Developers and Engineers: 52,322 job postings (+3,320) 

  • IT Project Management, Data Analysts, Emerging, Other: 7,216 job postings (+732) 

  • Data Scientists 22,706 job postings (+2,036)  

  • Tech Support Specialists 18,441 job postings (+307)  

  • Network Architects 9,146 job postings (+855)  

Top industries for tech job postings

  • Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 54,893 

  • Administrative and Support Services: 29,272 

  • Manufacturing: 20,265 

  • Finance and Insurance: 15,030 

  • Information: 14,888  

Tech employment by sector

  • IT & Custom Software Services and System Design: 2,551,800 (+3,400) 

  • PC, Semiconductor, Components Manufacturing: 1,097,100 (-2,500) 

  • Telecommunications: 624,400 (+700) 

  • Cloud Infrastructure, Data Processing, Hosting: 494,400 (+500) 

  • Other Info Services, Search, Platforms: 175,200 (+600) 

Top 5 states for tech job postings

  1. California: 23,482

  2. Texas: 20,621

  3. Virginia: 12,369

  4. New York: 9,569

  5. Florida: 9,428 

Top 5 metros for tech job postings

  1. Washington, DC: 14,091

  2. New York: 12,090

  3. Dallas: 9,841

  4. Atlanta: 6,249

  5. Chicago: 6,567   

By leveraging insights from cybersecurity trends and the CompTIA Tech Job Report, you can make informed decisions on training solutions, protect your organization, and be well-positioned for future growth.  
 
Read the full CompTIA Tech Jobs report at https://www.comptia.org/content/tech-jobs-report 

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