Thoughts on the Cyber Security Job Market in 2023 – It’s Not That Bad!

If you are in the technology sector, you probably are saying “we live in interesting times” and maybe worried about your job. Large tech firms are laying off people (Amazon, Cisco, Microsoft, Tesla, etc.) and concerns of a recession could lead to more jobs being cut.

Dark Reading posted their take on the cyber market in an article titled “Will Cybersecurity Remain Recession Proof in 2023”, which you can find HERE. The short version I took away from this article is cyber roles have been in high demand based on the common saying “there are more jobs in cyber than people” however, some jobs will be more recession proof than others. So, they believe specialized roles won’t feel the pain, but general security roles can still be at risk. Also, the overall tech firms will operate differently aka less expenses available for operational costs.

I have a slightly different take on these concepts, concerns, and how to view the current market. First, the status for cyber for many years has been “there are more jobs than good people“. This has led to a battle for the best talent, which the big tech firms have been winning based on their willingness to pay more and offer more flexibility. This leaves other businesses left with people not scooped up by large tech or forced to outsource via managed services.

I believe the reset of people within Tech means less security jobs for the large tech firms however, there are still TONs of seats available in other areas of business. Banks, Commerical orgs, government, etc. all can benefit from the available talent that is becoming available. This means there will still be competition for talent but different organizations making the bid.

I see some interesting positives for this. Maybe your role is a certain grade, and you are let go. Also, maybe you have been in golden handcuffs meaning you are a senior architect within a large tech firm, paid well but don’t see how you will ever make the jump to a director or higher position. This career change could lead to taking on higher grade scale roles within different fields of business. Maybe with years of Amazon experience an engineer can take on an executive role for a bank or gaming company? Maybe partners that desire people with experience within large IT firms they sell will need experts.

In summary, I just can’t see decades of gaps in security skillsets suddenly being dissolved due to a recent economic downturn. Cybersecurity is not a topic organizations can just ignore and get to next year. It’s required to avoid massive losses and experts are needed. I believe the current people reset in big tech makes sense due to the current economics but doesn’t mean doom and gloom for security experts. Cybersecurity experts will still be needed hence there shouldn’t be huge fear of not having a job however, some job loss may happen. Is job loss a bad thing? I believe the skilled cyber experts will not have to worry. But that’s my personal opinion.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.