 emphasizes robust collaboration between employers, educators, government, and other stakeholders to ensure that cyber workforce needs are met in a decentralized yet strategic fashion. S COPE Many dynamics will shape America’s cyber workforce needs, but meeting demand for skilled cyber workers is an urgent concern. One industry study estimated unmet demand for 411,000 cybersecurity workers in 2022, a 9.0% increase from 2021.6 Another study estimates that employer demand exceeds supply by 32%.7 From a global perspective, the situation is even more stark. The difference between global demand and cyber workforce capacity in 2022 was estimated at 3.4 million, a 26% increase over the previous year.8 Cyber skills are becoming important to a greater number of occupations across all sectors of our economy. For example, one 2023 publication found that 92% of jobs across industries in the United States require at least some digital skills.9 This demand outstrips supply, as nearly 33% of U.S. workers between ages 16 and 64 lack these skills10 (see Figure 2). Cyber skills are becoming increasingly essential to U.S. economic competitiveness in the global economy.11 Figure 2. Demand Exceeds Supply The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of workplaces.12 Consequently, limitations predominantly among those with low incomes, in underserved minority and rural communities were uncovered.13 Cyber skills also became increasingly important to people simply to meet the demands of daily life.14 This strategy focuses on the American workforce across all sectors and occupations that requires cyber skills. It sets out a plan to build the foundational cyber skills—digital literacy, computational 3 NATIONAL CYBER WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION STRATEGY