HIGH DEMAND FOR SECURITY CLEARANCE According to Tech Job Postings Analysis

by JEANNE DAVANT

Skilled technology workers are among the most in-demand employees in the Pikes Peak region.

An analysis of job postings in El Paso and Teller counties between September 2022 and August 2023, provided to The Digest by the Pikes Peak Workforce Center (PPWC), found that an average of 278 IT and cyber jobs were posted per month, while 69 average monthly hires were made. That equates to approximately one hire for every four job postings.

These jobs frequently require extensive and specific qualifications, and one of the most in demand is security clearance or the ability to obtain clearance, the analysis shows.

Traci Marques, PPWC’s executive director and CEO says, “You look at where we’re going in the world of work — cyber, artificial intelligence, security on data and personal information — that is why there are so many jobs out there, because it is required for every industry.”

Government contracts that generate a lot of local hiring may require certain levels of clearance, Marques says. While security clearance is not necessarily a barrier to hiring, “it does hinder the ability for companies to hire for these positions,” Marques says.

PPWC recently invited employers to a hiring event for jobs that did not require security clearance.

“We had a very difficult time recruiting employers to come to that hiring event,” she says. “We ended up inviting companies that needed security clearances.”

The analysis found that Secret, Top Secret-Sensitive Compartmentalized Information, and Top Secret clearances were the most frequently listed. A bachelor’s degree and four to six years of experience also were most often sought, as were specific skills – topped by systems engineering, Agile methodology, computer science, model-based systems engineering, and project management. The top five job titles posted were systems engineer, principal systems engineer, scrum master, space systems engineer, and software systems engineer.

Employers also are seeking candidates who possess “soft skills,” including communications, management, operations, planning, and leadership.

“It’s not just the technical expertise that’s needed in this industry today,” Marques says. “You also need to know how to problem-solve; you need to be able to talk to others.”

Educational institutions are increasingly paying attention to those skills, and the Workforce Center builds them into its workshops for job seekers, Marques says.