Indeed.com: Slight Dip in Clicks on US Cybersecurity Job Listings

While the number of US cybersecurity job postings on Indeed.com increased by 7% between 2017 and 2018, clicks on those listings dropped by 1.3%.

Meantime, the employment website's first-ever analysis of trends in cybersecurity listings worldwide shows that most of the top 10 highest-paying job titles in the US come with salaries of more than $100,000. The security positions with the top salaries are application security engineer ($128,128), director of information security ($127,855), senior security consultant ($126,628), and cloud engineer ($126,365). Penetrations testing positions command an average salary of $114,431.

Raj Mukherjee, senior vice president of product at Indeed, says the dip in job-seeker traffic to cybersecurity positions may be another sign of the lack of qualified candidates to fill the positions. The demand for these positions, however, will continue to rise worldwide, he says. "This may be cause for concern for employers looking to find workers with cybersecurity skill sets, as it is likely that there will be more competition for these highly skilled workers," Mukherjee says.

Business analytics and information systems firm Catapult Consultant posted the most jobs in the US in 2018, followed by Wells Fargo, according to Indeed.com's data.

A recent study by industry association ISACA found that finding and hiring qualified security professionals takes an average of three to six months, and only half of or fewer applicants actually meet a position's qualifications. And 80% of IT security pros recently surveyed by Tripwire say it's getting harder to find skilled people to fill their open job positions.

     Top-Paying Cybersecurity Positions in the US

Application security engineer                 $128,128

Director of information security             $127,855

Senior security consultant                      $126,628

Cloud engineer                                         $126,365

Software architect                                   $117,633

Penetration tester                                    $114,431

Risk manager                                            $108,465

Chief information officer                          $103,690

Security engineer                                     $101,808

                          Source: Indeed.com

Other nations had major increases in job postings between 2017 and 2018: The number of cybersecurity job positions in India, for example, increased 39%, with the most postings from consulting and IT services firm Wipro, which reportedly suffered a major cyberattack recently. Ireland posted 18% more jobs, mostly from Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.

Indeed.com tracked how job seekers find US cybersecurity positions online by studying search terms they used. The top terms, in order of ranking, were information technology, Amazon, and engineer. Search term trends can help employers better target their listings, Mukherjee says.

"By understanding what searches are leading to job-seeker clicks on cybersecurity job postings, employers can adapt their recruitment targeting techniques," he says. "For example, the search terms indicate there are many curious prospective candidates for cybersecurity roles who could be recruited into this high-demand field, so employers should consider a broad targeting approach."

Mukherjee also says employers should be more "creative" in their job postings to expand their applicant pool. That includes attracting candidates with nontraditional cybersecurity backgrounds who can be trained on the job - a concept that security industry experts say is one key to closing the so-called talent gap.

"One way they can do this is through assessments, which allow job seekers and employers to understand [whether] a candidate's skills match the needs of the open role," he says. This allows candidates to demonstrate their skills that may not fit their work history or backgrounds, he says.

"As every company becomes a software company and the need for cybersecurity and other tech roles continues to grow, it will be even more crucial for companies of all sizes to look to solutions that will help them hire quality candidates and to close the talent gaps in tech," he says.

Related Content:

Join Dark Reading LIVE for two cybersecurity summits at Interop 2019. Learn from the industry's most knowledgeable IT security experts. Check out the Interop agenda here.