Cyber Civil Servants Knock on Industry’s Door After Shutdown

There are about 200,000 cyber employees in the federal workforce, according to a recent government survey. Many were exempt, or "excepted," from the furlough, meaning they had to work but wouldn't be paid for that work until government reopened and resumed payroll operations. (Congress eventually passed a law authorizing back pay to furloughed federal employees as well.) Between the 16-day shutdown and the possibility of another lapse in funding just three months away, some cyber civil servants are considering jumping ship, according to several industry recruiters, who say they've seen an uptick in job inquiries from federal data security specialists. "Rarely do we receive inbound calls from cybersecurity people who work for the federal government -- a lot of times because the job is so secure," said Mark Aiello, president of Cyber 360 Solutions, a placement firm in Massachusetts. He estimates receiving at least half a dozen such queries since Oct. 1, when the shutdown began. "The basic motivation for their call is they are concerned over the debt crisis and ongoing furloughs. The vast majority of people were on the job and deemed essential but concerned,” he said. “They recognize they can probably make more money in the private sector [and ask themselves] 'Why am I going through this if it's just going to happen every quarter, every election cycle?'”