Dive Brief:

• A new report from IDC found the primary reasons for the talent shortage in the information security field is "retention and churn" at the highest levels, including chief security officers.

• At the lower levels, where expectations are basic, companies are open to diverse backgrounds and willing to training new hires.

• IDC said jobs that require less than five years of experience are filled within three months 85% of the time, while jobs that require more than 10 years of experience often take a year or more to fill.

Dive Insight:

IDC said information security breeds a culture of paranoia, and pay often isn't high enough to compensate for the stress, contributing to early burn out.

"My hypothesis is that it's because people bail," said IDC analyst and report author Pete Lindstrom. "They leave the security space after they get a taste of what security is all about."

People who work in other technology fields, meanwhile, get to perform more positive tasks like creating technology to bring in new business.