In the Clear: Compensation Decline for Security-Cleared Professionals Levels Off Despite Strong Headwinds

DES MOINES, Iowa, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- America's security-cleared workforce endured a second straight year of declining compensation, however, the rate of decline has moderated from three percent in 2012 to less than one percent in 2013, according to ClearanceJobs.com, the leading online career network for professionals with an active federal security clearance.  According to data collected from nearly 21,000 cleared professionals, 2013 average compensation totaled $88,423, down slightly from $88,447 earned in 2012.  Those figures include a decrease in average salaries of one percent to $74,391 in 2013 from $75,208 the previous year. 

"Considering every negative thrown at this job market in 2013 - the sequester, furloughs, budget cuts and the government shutdown – nearly identical compensation is a win," said Evan Lesser, founder and Managing Director of ClearanceJobs.com.  "This year, the job market for security-cleared professionals is more stable thanks to a budget that allows contracts to be awarded and funded.  That said, security-cleared professionals shouldn't be looking for big gains in compensation, because the defense industry is still adjusting to new economic realities."

When looking at individual responses, 44 percent of security cleared professionals saw compensation gains in 2013, as compared to 46 percent of respondents during the previous year.  Security-cleared professionals have modified their approach to career development and appeared less confident about their prospects:  just seven percent of respondents switched employers during the year, which is down from 16 percent in 2012. 

In fact, security-cleared professionals who were new to their employers in 2013 saw both average compensation and salaries drop four percent to $78,861 and $68,175, respectively, as compared to cleared professionals in the same situation a year ago.  An even sharper decline was felt by security-cleared professionals new to the industry, with average compensation down nine percent from the previous year to $71,753 and starting salaries declining seven percent to average $61,763.

Cybersecurity = Constant Talent Need

The number of security-cleared professionals working in technology and on cybersecurity initiatives grew year to year (24% vs. 22%), as did their total compensation ($102,164, up one percent year/year) consisting of average salaries of $87,653 and additional compensation of $14,511. 

A more substantial compensation increase registered for cybersecurity professionals working in the Capital region ($117,184, up 6% year/year), but the growth in respondents is stronger outside Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia where cybersecurity professionals earn on average $88,236 in 2013, up slightly year to year. 

"The government and its contractors have an extreme need for tech talent, including most acutely cybersecurity professionals," added Mr. Lesser.  "It's difficult to woo the next generation of talent when their understanding of technology is very different than the norms of government systems.  We have to find a better balance between the need to keep information secure and their workplace and career expectations."

Program/Project Managers in information technology experienced the sharpest increase in compensation year to year earning on average $125,874, up 10 percent.  That was followed by security personnel, such as guards, and law enforcement whose average compensation rose eight and seven percent year to year, respectively, mainly from additional earnings instead of salary increases.

Quality vs. Quantity in the Security Cleared Process

Next on the list of largest year to year compensation gains:  Background investigators.  Those security cleared professionals earned $57,897 on average in 2013, up nearly seven percent year to year. 

Improvements in wait times to obtain a final clearance appear to have slowed.  According to the respondents who obtained their final clearance within the previous two years, a majority (58%) received their clearance within four months.  That result is essentially flat with a year ago after having shown significant progress between 2010 (48%) and 2012 (57%) under the same timeline. 

"The process sped up to help address talent gaps, because qualified candidates were passing on opportunities due to wait times.  We now know quantity was at the cost of quality and no one wants the process perfected more than security-cleared professionals themselves," added Mr. Lesser.   

According to respondents, the vast majority, 92 percent of respondents said they were not benched waiting for a clearance to be approved in the last year they were hired.

Download the full 2014 ClearanceJobs Compensation Report at www.clearancejobs.com/salary.

Methodology

The 2014 ClearanceJobs Compensation Report was administered online between October 29, 2013 and February 7, 2014.  Participants had to have a current, active federal security clearance and be currently employed to be included in the results, which included 20,860 respondents in 2013.   

About ClearanceJobs.com

ClearanceJobs.com, a Dice Holdings, Inc. service, is the leading Internet-based career network dedicated to matching security-cleared professionals with the best hiring companies searching for new employees. Authorized U.S. government contractors, federal agencies, national laboratories and universities utilize The Cleared Network to quickly and easily find candidates with specific, active security clearance requirements to fill open jobs in a range of disciplines. For more information, please visit www.ClearanceJobs.com

Media Contacts: Jennifer Bewley, Jonathan Blank and Rachel Ceccarelli, 212-448-8288
[email protected]

SOURCE ClearanceJobs.com