Career Trends: Information Security Analysts

Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.

Most information security analysts work for computer companies, consulting firms, or business and financial companies.

Most information security analyst positions require a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field. Employers usually prefer to hire analysts with experience in a related occupation.

Employment of information security analysts is projected to grow 18 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for information security analysts is expected to be very high, as these analysts will be needed to create innovative solutions to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or causing problems for computer networks.

This occupation supported 75,100 jobs in 2012 and 82,900 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 10.4%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 36.5% in 2022 to 102,500 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 80,500, compared with an observed value of 82,900, 3.0% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 19.7% in 2024 to 97,700 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 107,900 jobs for 2024, 10.4% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.