- The Kaspersky report claims that young tech workers are turning to the dark web to look for jobs
- The median age of applicants is only 24 years
- Dark web workers can bring in over $5,000/month
As the global job market worsens due to layoffs, difficult recruitment screenings and new AI programs designed to eliminate parts of the workforce, new research has claimed that graduates and young people are increasingly turning to the dark web for jobs.
Unfortunately for them, Kaspersky research reveals that the dark web job market is not as easy as you might imagine, as dark web applicants outnumber job postings 55-45 – and 69% of candidates are open to any field – making fierce competition the order of the day.
Worryingly, the median age of job seekers is just 24, suggesting that skilled young candidates are unable to find legitimate work and are instead forced to switch allegiances and use their skills against the cyber security industry.
A lucrative switch
Kaspersky’s report found that those moving to the dark web can be well rewarded, as reverse engineers can earn an average of $5,000 per month, closely followed by penetration testers at $4,000/mo and developers at $2,000/mo.
“The shadow labor market is no longer peripheral; it absorbs the unemployed, the underage and the overqualified,” comments Alexandra Fedosimova, Digital Footprint Analyst at Kaspersky.
‘Many arrive thinking that the dark web and the legal market are fundamentally the same, rewarding proven skills over diplomas, where the dark web even offers some advantages – like offers landing within 48 hours and no HR interviews. However, not many people realize that working on the dark web can lead to jail time,”
The tech industry is grinding to a halt as AI eliminates positions – with junior roles halved in recent years – and given the state of the rest of the labor market, it’s not surprising that some of these highly skilled workers will turn to less legitimate means of survival.
Organizations save money in the short term by eliminating junior roles and replacing them with artificial intelligence – but if the dark web nurtures this talent, ten years from now, when senior developers retire, the stack will be stacked against defenders.
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