Awareness Increases Demand for Cyber Security Careers

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Awareness of cyber attacks in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election helped grow the number of young adults more likely to pursue a career in cybersecurity. according to Securing Our Future: Closing the Cybersecurity Talent Gap, a new survey commissioned by Raytheon, the technology leader in defense, civil government and cyber security, and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).

NCSA is the US leading nonprofit public-private partnership promoting the safe and secure use of the Internet and digital privacy, working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), private sector sponsors and nonprofit collaborators to promote cybersecurity awareness,.

The survey generated some 3,800 responses by young adults aged 18-26 around the world.

The goal was to identify the root causes of the cyber talent gap as part of a shared long-term commitment to building a robust talent pipeline.

The results of the survey were released during the annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and NCSA each October.

Major findings, according to PRNewswire:

In the U.S., the number of young adults who say they have read or heard a news account of cyber attacks within the last year nearly doubled from 36 percent in 2015 to 64 percent in 2016

In the U.S., 53 percent of young adults say a political candidate’s position on cybersecurity impacts their level of support for that candidate, including 60 percent of men and 47 of women

In the U.S., 50 percent of young adults don’t think cybersecurity has been a big enough part of the discussion leading up to the presidential election

Globally, 59 percent of men, up from 43 percent in 2015, reported receiving formal cyber safety lessons, compared to 51 percent of women, an increase from 40 percent a year ago

Globally, 54 percent of young men, up from 46 percent in 2015, said they were aware of the job tasks involved in the cybersecurity profession, compared to just 36 percent of young women, an increase from 33 percent last year

Globally, 37 percent of young adults (34 percent in the U.S.) are more likely than a year ago to consider a career to make the Internet safer, compared to 28 percent in 2015 (26 percent in the U.S.)

“Millennials see hacktivists breaking into computer systems and threatening our economy,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business. “If we can show young men and women a clear path to careers in cybersecurity, we can make real progress in eliminating the serious cyber talent shortage and making our country more secure.”