Implementing the new National Cybersecurity Strategy will take many technical professionals at a time when an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 public sector cyber positions are going unfilled and 69% of state and local human resources officers are reporting an IT-hiring crunch.
Despite a Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Strategy that’s been in place since 2016 and a Federal Cyber Workforce Management and Coordinating Working Group dating from 2019, governments continue to struggle to find enough qualified cyber personnel. That’s partly because they’re competing with a private sector that’s short an estimated 710,000 professionals — and can pay more.
Better Balance and Benefits
Government may be able to capitalize on recent layoffs at major tech firms — but salary remains a stumbling block.
Although agencies may not be able to compete with industry on pay, other benefits also matter — especially to younger workers.
Public-sector jobs can attract new talent by offering:
- Student loan repayment
- Hybrid and remote work
- Health care, financial and other benefits
- An important mission
At the National Science Foundation (NSF), an agency that’s competing for scientists, doctors and others who can make more money in the private sector, flexibility can be a deciding factor, explained Wonzie Gardner Jr., Office Head and Chief Human Capital Officer for NSF’s Office of Information and Resource Management.
“Work-life balance is so important to millennials,” Gardner said, speaking at a recent GovLoop virtual event. “Remote work, hybrid work, supporting new parents — these are key for both recruiting and retention.”
And don’t forget the agency’s mission. It’s what distinguishes a government career from one in the private sector. Many people seek meaning in their work — and those are the people you’re looking to hire. Emphasize how their role contributes to the agency’s overall goals.
Seek Talent Early and Often
Accelerate your hiring pipeline and tap into it early. That means internship, fellowship and other programs that catch workers early in their careers, or even while they’re still in training.
One such program is the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)’s CyberCorps “Scholarship for Service,” which recruits young professionals in IT, industrial controls, and security for federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments. The scholarships, for up to three years of undergraduate or graduate study, require recipients to work in government for the same number of years that they received the aid.
Cities and states reach out to local institutions in various ways. For instance, Kansas City, Missouri works with local universities by hiring graduate students to help with city projects, and the students can stay on after graduation if they choose. Washington, D.C., has a pilot program that trains inmates for Amazon Web Services Certified Cloud Practitioner certification, giving them a chance at better jobs when they’re released. The key is to be creative and take advantage of local resources.
You can also reduce barriers in the hiring process — for instance, by adopting OPM’s 45-day hiring model and replacing academic requirements with skills- based ones. For federal agencies seeking cyber talent, OPM has the Cybersecurity Hiring Resource Hub, which brings together information on incentives and expedited application processes.
Grow Your Own
Finally, there’s the option of developing your own internal tech pipeline. Employers — both public and private — have drastically reduced what they spend on training since 2000. That needs to change.
Developing good training programs can open your options. You can bring in new hires who have the potential to learn needed skills once on board, rather than hold out for people already trained. And use vendors’ professional services to train employees on specific technologies and applications.
Taking advantage of the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program, under which cyber employees work at other agencies for six months to a year, can help tech staff learn new skills.
You can also think of “rotations” to the private sector as a way to upgrade skills. According to NSF’s Gardner, younger tech workers are unlikely to stay with the same employer for their whole career, so they might not stay in a government job for life. But you can entice them to return to government after time in the private sector by promoting a workplace that meets their needs for flexibility and work-life balance.
“Talent that we want is going to learn skills in different places,” Gardner said. “We say the best employee is one that can go from one agency to another, and the best employee [now] is one that can go out of government into industry and later come back in.”
This article appeared in our guide, “A New Cyber Game Plan Takes Shape.” To learn more about how respond to — and head off — the latest threats, download the guide:
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