The UK Cyber Security job market in 2026: what the latest government data shows

Posted on October 30, 2026 11:18 am

Last month, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) published its latest report on Cyber Security skills in the UK labour market covering the year 2025. So we’ve compiled the key findings that matter most if you are thinking about a career in Cyber Security.

The workforce is still growing, just slowly.

Around 145,900 people work in UK cyber security, this is a 2% increase, compared with 5% growth the year before. More than half of cyber firms (53%) are expecting to expand their cyber workforce in 2026.

Job postings increased in 2025

There were 34,932 job postings for core cyber roles in 2025, with around 2,911 a month. That is 7% more than the 32,671 that we saw in 2024.

Many businesses are short of basic skills

More than half of UK businesses (57%) reported a gap in basic technical cyber skills, causing a rise of 49% from the year before. The government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey, which was published in April 2026, found that 43% of UK businesses, around 612,000 identified a cyber breach or attack in the previous 12 months.

Where the jobs are

Within the UK, London is the biggest market at 31%, which can’t come as a large surprise. Here’s the top five locations for core cyber postings in 2025:

Location	Core cyber postings, 2025
Greater London	9,262
Manchester	1,079
Birmingham	930
Bristol	886
Edinburgh	845

Remote and UK-wide roles are becoming rarer. 16% of core postings were remote or UK-wide in 2025, down from 26% in 2024, so it is worth planning for hybrid or office-based work.

What employers are asking for

The skills most often named in core cyber postings were:

Auditing: 22%
Governance: 20%
ISO/IEC 27001: 20%
Risk management: 19%
Incident response: 18%
Risk analysis: 16%
Microsoft Azure: 16%
Automation: 15%
Security controls: 15%

Finally, it’s been recognised that AI is now part of the work. 70% of cyber businesses say their staff use AI day to day, up from 53%, and AI skills appeared in 9% of core postings, up from 4%.

Experience and degrees

Entry-level roles are a small share of the market. 16% of core postings were open to people with less than a year’s experience, while 64% asked for 2 to 6 years. 77% of postings listed a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Hiring practice is more flexible than the adverts suggest, though: 65% of cyber businesses that had vacancies since January 2024 hired through non-degree routes.

What cyber pays

The median advertised salary for core cyber roles was £58,050, about 11% above the wider IT median of £52,260. The average advertised salary in London was £70,200, against £60,800 across the UK. Only 24% of postings stated a salary, and most asked for experience, so treat these as market figures rather than starting pay.

For starting points, the National Careers Service gives £24,000 for a starter IT support technician (a common route into security) and £35,000 for a starter IT security co-ordinator, rising to £76,000 with experience.

Who works in cyber

Women make up 16% of the cyber workforce, compared with 48% of the UK workforce. Disabled people make up 9%, compared with 18%. Employers report that 22% of their staff are neurodivergent, up from 9% in 2020. The number of cyber security graduates rose by about 14% to 7,950 in 2023/24.

What this means if you are starting out

Demand recovered in 2025, but entry-level postings are a small share, so preparation matters.
Recognised certifications and hands-on practice help you stand out next to graduates, and most hiring businesses have recruited without requiring a degree.
Look beyond London. Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh all have a meaningful number of roles.
Governance, audit and ISO 27001 skills appear in many postings, as well as incident response, so it is worth understanding both sides of the field.

Next step: Download our free Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Cyber Security, or book a free 15-minute chat with a career advisor to talk through where you would fit.