Cybersecurity experts are in high demand since the high-profile threats like the one Google experienced back in January when Chinese hackers stole intellectual property and targeted e-mail accounts of activists. "The U.S. government and companies will need about 60,000 cybersecurity workers in the next three years" said Alan Greenberg, technical director of cyber and information solutions at Boeing. Boeing, based in Chicago, employs about 2,000 cybersecurity workers, up from about 100 in 2004.
Cybersecurity is a new field, so candidates aren’t always up to par. Only 40% of government hiring managers say they are satisfied with the quality of applicants for federal cybersecurity jobs, according to a report by Booz Allen Hamilton in July 2009.
Cyberhacking competitions are being held to produce future talent. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan, manages a separate government talent search called the US Cyber Challenge, which aims to find 10,000 young workers through a series of competitions.
