The news is full of layoffs lately. From major brands like Twitter and Tesla to tech startups and game developers, a lot of companies are in reassess, restructure, and reset mode, hoping to make the bottom line look better. Chatter about remote work and the alleged ‘Great Resignation’ has lowered to a whisper.  What’s being shouted out everywhere is the number of layoffs happening all over the U.S. So are we still in a candidate market? Yes and no. We saw this back in 2020. When everyone else was sending out layoff notices each week, the contractors and agencies held steady, thanks in part to the CARES Act and the power of contract work. In some ways, the nature of contract work will keep on insulating candidates from layoffs, but what does happen is that employees are a lot more likely to stay in national security when the rest of the world becomes unraveled. The power of a steady job becomes a lot more lucrative than trading in the security clearance for the chance to gain more flexibility and high pay that could come with a side of layoff talk. So, while candidates can be competitive against other security clearance holders, the option to jump over to industry isn’t as appealing when layoff chatter is buzzing.


Layoffs 

Arete IR

Florida-based cyber incident company, Arete IR, confirmed layoffs in the works for them. Their company handles ransomware cases, but said that the current economic conditions have made it necessary for them to layoff an unspecified number of workers. Layoffs Tracker though has reported 25% of their workforce – or about 90 people, based on a tip from a former Arete employee. Cybersecurity may give the feeling of unlimited potential, but limited budgets are also a reality.


Hiring

Kratos

Another California-contractor adds an east coast facility – this time in the south. Birmingham, AL is getting an influx of job opportunities with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions adding 76 jobs and investing approximately $8.6 million in its facility over the next five years.

This past May, Kratos acquired the engineering division of Southern Research, now called Kratos SRE, under the Defense & Rocket Support Services Division. About 140 engineers, technicians, and program support professionals are employed by SRE, supporting the space community, DoD, and other national security customers. The investment from Kratos over the next five years will grow their presence even more in the expanding Alabama footprint.


Cleared Employer at Work: Leidos

Growth is only possible when there have been successful leaders at the helm over the years, and Leidos continues to have leaders that put the organization on the trajectory of growth and success. Ready to join?


Opportunity to Watch

Booz Allen is partnering with Acalvio Technologies to improve the nation’s cybersecurity operations with proactive defenses that will help government and commercial organizations build greater resilience in the face of an increasingly dynamic threat landscape. This partnership complements Booz Allen’s National Cyber strategy by adding cyber deception to the firm’s intelligence-grade tradecraft and full-spectrum capabilities.Acalvio’s patented and award-winning Autonomous Deception product, ShadowPlex, the only advanced cyber deception product with FedRAMP certification, enables organizations to detect, investigate, and respond to malicious activity in information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments across on-premises and cloud deployments. Together, Booz Allen and Acalvio will bring these sophisticated capabilities to government and commercial clients to combat advanced cybersecurity challenges, including advanced persistent threats (APT), ransomware, and insider threats.

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Jillian Hamilton has worked in a variety of Program Management roles for multiple Federal Government contractors. She has helped manage projects in training and IT. She received her Bachelors degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing from Penn State University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix.