ST. LOUIS — From meatpacking to oil pipelines, ransomware attacks targeted all sectors in 2021. Just last month, Kronos, one of the largest HR companies in the world fell victim to a ransomware attack, halting services that many companies use to manage employees and payrolls.
Now, the need for cybersecurity jobs could be at an all-time high.
Statistics released by Forbes show American businesses suffered 50% more cyberattack attempts per week in 2021.
Hackers are taking advantage of the fact that more people are working from home, making companies more vulnerable.
Businesses need cyber security experts. But the field is battling a significant workforce gap.
This means companies are having a harder time protecting their online systems.
One non-profit in St. Louis, CyberUp, helps adults learn new skills in the cyberspace industry and trains teens to prepare for careers in this field. Tony Bryan, CyberUp's Executive Director, said St. Louis has thousands of positions to fill.
"There is a known shortage of 497,000... open cyber security roles in the United States," he said. "In St. Louis alone, there are over 7,500 jobs open. The reality is, there's not enough people getting put into the workforce that are going to be able to fill those roles...."
The group said it has recently seen more people in St. Louis looking to make a career change and learn cyber security skills to secure these jobs.
Some are leaving their current fields by choice, while others are being pushed out by increased automation. People who work as waiters, inspectors, receptionists and groundskeepers have some of the highest risks of having their positions automated over the next decade.
"Things like what we do are a really good opportunity for somebody who is looking for that next thing in -- I happen to use the word like -- a 'pandemic-resilient' career...," Bryan said. "If I fear my job is going to be phased out because of a pandemic or because of automation, you know finding hard skills that aren't going to get phased out as a really great way.”
From 2013 to 2021, the number of open cybersecurity positions has gone up by 350%.
