What will 2014 hold for security clearance salary and compensation? Only time will tell, but as scrutiny over the security-clearance process continues the value of a clearance could go up.

Trends for 2012 included an overall decrease in compensation for cleared professionals. Compensation for security-cleared professionals dropped three-percent year-over-year, to $88,447. This came after several boom years of growth in cleared salaries, particularly for those with coveted Top Secret security clearances and polygraph.

Defense recruiters acknowledge that the days of cleared professionals being able to walk in the door and name their salary is over. As more veterans return from overseas assignments and skilled workers enter the workforce, the ball is in the hiring manager’s hand when it comes to setting salary requirements.

Cybersecurity Salaries – the Exception

The exception to this rule is in the arena of cybersecurity. Cleared professionals with cyber skills remain in high-demand, and are garnering six-figure salaries. There seems to be no end in sight to the demand for cyber talent, even as sequestration lowers government IT budgets.

Geography Matters

Despite sequestration, the Washington, D.C. region has continued to pay well for cleared professionals. In 2012 security-cleared professionals in the Washington region earned $97,952 in overall compensation. Aerospace hubs such as Florida and California have seen earnings fall, and even as the industry looks to diversify, those trends are likely to continue. As congress continues to debate another round of BRAC, expect more regions to make the case for keeping their military hubs, and more shuffling in where defense dollars are spent. Security-cleared professionals should watch defense trends in 2013, and be prepared to make a move. Mobility will become increasingly important for high-compensation (but don’t forget cost of living!)

Salary Silver Lining

Where’s the silver lining? If the government moves forward with desk audits of cleared positions in an effort to cut costs and prevent the next Edward Snowden, the value of a clearance could go up for those who keep them. Just don’t expect those trends to appear in 2013. Salary negotiation today is a marathon, not a sprint. Cleared professionals are experiencing one of the government’s ebbs. But as previous cycles of budget cuts prove, a draw down doesn’t last forever.

Government employees and contractors will need to focus on in-demand skills in order to maintain competitive salaries. Those in the job hunt may need to lower their salary expectations for 2014. Knowledge is power, however, so stand by for the results of our 2013 compensation survey, and get a full picture of security-cleared salaries near you.

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Lindy Kyzer is the director of content at ClearanceJobs.com. Have a conference, tip, or story idea to share? Email lindy.kyzer@clearancejobs.com. Interested in writing for ClearanceJobs.com? Learn more here.. @LindyKyzer