D.C. metro leads on cybersecurity talent but trails in AI workers
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The national capital region (Washington, D.C., metro area) accounts for 12% of all U.S. workers in the information security field — more than double the San Francisco Bay Area.
Yes, but: When it comes to artificial intelligence talent, San Francisco and Seattle have almost 40% of the total workforce.
Why it matters: "Regions should consider what kinds of skills they need to achieve to support their local economies, and then choose a couple of areas to make bigger bets (based on current gaps relative to where there is demand) to help an area thrive," said McKinsey partner Brooke Weddle, who co-authored a report with the Greater Washington Partnership to evaluate the D.C. region's talent pipeline.
- The large presence of the defense industry in the Washington, D.C. area helps draw in info-sec talent. Meanwhile, Big Tech companies on the West Coast are among the biggest investors in AI development.
Quick take: Data security and AI are increasingly intertwined, and the potential for adversaries to use AI to automate large-scale attacks is a major threat. So look for these employment clusters to even out as the fields integrate over time.
Go deeper: After HQ2, Northern Virginia tries to build a regional brand
