Filling Critical Cyber Jobs Focus of House Hearing

Lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee are raising awareness of the “cyber workforce gap,” noting that by leaving critical cybersecurity positions unfilled, the U.S. is increasing risks to national security. 

“We currently need at least 500,000 cyber professionals if we hope to protect and defend our way of life. And that's just not any 500,000 people. We need 500,000 skilled, talented cyber workers dedicated to contending with the threats of today while preparing for the threats of tomorrow,” said Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), who was serving as chairman in the absence of Representative Mark Green (R-TN).

Much of the hearing reviewed ways to get more qualified cyber workers on the job, particularly in the federal workforce.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chief Information Officer (CIO) Eric Hysen defended the department's Cyber Talent Management System (CTMS), noting that it’s starting to pay dividends despite a slow start.

The system, which launched in 2021, is exempt from many of the federal government’s traditional hiring and compensation policies. 189 employees were hired under CTMS so far, with three DHS components having access, the CIO office, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Hysen said the cyber personnel system is finally getting on track and is giving the agency access to a “ready” pool of talented candidates.

“We are pushing to aggressively expand CTMS,” said CIO Hysen. “We are working to bring it onboard with additional components. We are also looking across the offices that are already using it to expand utilization for some of their existing hires.”

However, the CIO acknowledged that CTMS is “not going to be the answer for every position.”

Recruiting Solutions

Other solutions discussed include security clearance reform.

Seeyew Mo, assistant national cyber director for cyber workforce, training and education at the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), reported advancement on reducing average wait times for top secret and secret clearances.

ONCD is also partnering with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on improving the “pool process” for federal cyber jobs. Pooled hiring allows agencies to more quickly hire employees, by selecting them from a pre-vetted pool of qualified applicants.

Both DHS and ONCD also pointed to programs they’re starting in schools, including building partnerships to put cyber classes in K-12 schools.

ONCD Report

The hearing comes on the heels of an ONCD progress report on hiring cyber workers into the federal government.

ONCD highlighted several successes a year into the program.

Those include removing unnecessary barriers to cyber careers, leading in example by skills-based hiring, using federal money to start cyber clinics and apprenticeships, and “unprecedented coordination across the interagency” with 35 federal departments and agencies participating in ONCD working groups, sharing best practices, and taking other steps to improve their cyber workforce.

Still, ONCD noted more work to be done. Priority goals for the coming year include educating more Americans about the availability and critical need for cyber workers, developing more teachers and training programs, and empowering efforts on the local level to connect individuals to various cyber opportunities.

“Solving these challenges is imperative. But, as my team and I say often, these challenges also serve as an opportunity – an opportunity to share best practices, to continue building innovative partnerships, for the Federal Government to continue convening, investing and leading by example,” wrote Assistant Director Mo in an accompanying blog post.