National Security Compensation Sets Record High

DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) announced today that ClearanceJobs, its leading online community for security-cleared professionals in the defense and intelligence industries, has released its 2024 Security Clearance Compensation Report.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240313757707/en/

Photo from the cover of the 2024 Compensation Report (Graphic: Business Wire)

In a year marked by inflation and budget uncertainties, companies took bold action by implementing significant salary hikes. In 2023, cleared candidates received a noteworthy 6% boost in compensation, increasing the average cleared salary to a new high of $114,946. For the second year in a row, 67% of individuals reported an uptick in their base pay.

“The state of the national security job market remains strong,” said Evan Lesser, Founder and President of ClearanceJobs. “As the commercial sector struggles, the benefits of national security work are clear. While much is made of the importance of mission, one should never undercut compensation as the critical factor motivating employees. When asked to pick the things their employer could change to increase their happiness and engagement, higher compensation was more than double the other options.”

The Evolving Cleared Landscape

As time moves us farther away from the COVID-19 pandemic, the preference for remote work remains. In 2023, 57% of respondents reported their employer now offers a remote or hybrid option when sickness or pandemic conditions aren’t in effect. That’s compared to 46% in 2021 and 53% in 2022. Respondents with this option available also tend to earn a higher compensation, routinely earning $15,000 to $20,000 more over the past three years.

However, in national security, remote or hybrid work is a luxury that many employers cannot afford, due to the nature of the work. When asked what employers could provide to entice workers to stick to the SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) side, respondents overwhelmingly ranked extra vacation days (64%) and bonuses (64%) as trade-offs for a lack of remote and hybrid options.

While national security demographics remained consistent, small changes each year paint the picture for future adjustments. Women remain at 23% of respondents again this year; however, Generation Z has steadily grown by 4% over the past four years. Gen Z also saw the biggest pay increase for the second year in a row, with respondents reporting a 13% compensation change from 2022.