The demand for cybersecurity pros remains intense, according to new data from CyberSeek, a cybersecurity workforce analytics platform developed by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education at NIST, Lightcast and CompTIA.

Over a 12-month period ending in September 2022, employers posted 769,736 openings for cybersecurity-related jobs. “Demand for cybersecurity talent has been accelerating for years, and employers are showing no signs of taking their foot off the gas,” Will Markow, vice president of applied research at Lightcast, wrote in a statement accompanying the data. “That’s why it is more important than ever to build robust talent pipelines to ensure a safer digital world. We can’t accept leaving holes in our cybersecurity defenses simply because we don’t have enough trained workers to plug them.”

For the third quarter of 2022, total cybersecurity job postings tracked 30 percent higher than the equivalent period in 2021 (and 68 percent higher than 2020, when the pandemic forced many companies to curb their hiring). Employer demand for cybersecurity workers is outpacing other positions.

“The data should compel us to double-down on efforts to raise awareness of cybersecurity career opportunities to youth and adults, especially during Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week which is an international campaign to inspire individuals to explore the variety of types of cybersecurity-related roles that are needed in both the public and private sectors,” Rodney Petersen, Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, wrote in a statement.

Organizations are well aware of their cybersecurity talent gap, and many are rushing to correct it. The federal government, for example, has implemented several recommendations to bring more cybersecurity pros onboard. Meanwhile, private companies are offering high salaries and perks such as more flexible schedules, although there’s a low-key battle brewing over all-remote work and bringing cybersecurity professionals back to the office full-time.

If you’re interested in a career as a cybersecurity pro (such as cybersecurity analyst), you’ll need the right combination of skills, experience, and certifications to impress employers. Fortunately, there are multiple pathways to mastering the principles of cybersecurity.