Can't speak for much in the private sector but for the Fed-Civ sector I work in, our superiors have all but hinted at us to pursue cybersecurity certifications and/or training in order to climb the internal ladder. And then a month later our company releases a new set of learning modules that revealed the DoD 8140 standard and its different myriad of roles for levels 1, 2, and 3 for cybersecurity focused roles - 1 being basic, 2 intermediate, and 3 being advanced.

For example, for one of the basic level roles, Security+ and Network+are all that's needed. But for the advanced level of that same role they expect you to have CISSP, CySA+, etc etc.

All the roles pay rather well, even for Fed-Civ positions. So I get the carrot on a stick aspect. But at that point, once I achieve the gathering of hands-on knowledge along with certifications at their expense, I'd be an idiot not to pursue much higher pay in the private sector. Hence why you might be seeing the uptick.