The continued fallacy of the information security skill shortage
You need to show security professionals the money
In March 2020, I wrote in The fallacy of the information security skill shortage, that the notion of a critical shortage of information security professionals was partly due to firms that don’t pay market rates. Many security jobs go unfilled not because there is no one to fill them, but because the firm obstinately refuses to provide a salary commensurate with the position.
The problem has been exacerbated due to the highest inflation levels in nearly half a century. Unfortunately, many firms have their head in the sand and refuse to invest in information security by hiring qualified professionals.
Some of these positions are consulting spots, with rates of $60 — $70 per hour. But based on this recent article in the Wall Street Journal — Teen Babysitters Are Charging $30 an Hour Now, Because They Can — those rates are simply inadequate.
I get about 20 emails and LinkedIn messages weekly from recruiters about jobs (isn’t that what LinkedIn is all about?), and I see that not much has changed.
Here are 13 recent examples of firms that won’t offer salaries or rates appropriate for the job. I received these from recruiters over the past few months via email…
