As reported recently by Government Executive (A Cyber Workforce Strategy is Coming From the White House, Along With an Implementation Body to Make Sure it Works), every government agency that utilizes AI – or wants to utilize AI – knows that cyber workers need deep technical expertise and access to the insights and tools necessary to make critical decisions faster and move their missions forward.

However, finding qualified cyber workers is difficult. The latest estimates put the number of vacancies at over 714,000, according to CyberSeek, a project backed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

And this shortage is occurring just as the federal government is beginning to embrace AI and its benefits: the insights and tools necessary to make critical decisions faster, improve workforce productivity, and move their missions forward.

During a cyber workforce summit this summer, Camille Stewart Gloster, deputy national cyber director for technology and ecosystem security, said, "This is a really good opportunity to elevate the good work that's going on… and replicate it where needed, add on to it."

Across the federal government, agencies and departments use various strategies and programs to broaden the talent pool and fill jobs.

Stewart Gloster stated that the strategy is unique because it won't focus only on the federal cyber workforce but instead take a broader lens not limited to the federal government's cyber workers alone. Gloster said the office would be looking for input from within and outside the federal government, including the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget.

A common difficulty is increasing the collection of new cyber talent while improving the retention of existing talent. Enabling the free flow movement between the public and private sectors, fostering workplace cultures, and reskilling and upskilling talent is essential for retention.

Read the entire article from Government Executive.