It probably comes as no surprise to most that demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to rise.  The U.S. Department of labor projects an 18% growth in computer and mathematical occupations during the period 2012-2024. Unfortunately, 52% of IT professionals surveyed in a recent ISACA and RSA Conference survey stated that fewer than 25% of all job applicants were qualified.

One effort to address these shortfalls was recently updated with the publishing of the draft NIST Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NCWF), NIST SP 800-181.  The NCWF provides information about cybersecurity work roles, the tasks performed by individuals filling those roles, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to complete those tasks successfully.  The document is open for public comment through January 6, 2017.

*Additional cybersecurity workforce demand statistics  are available in this infographic published by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education here.