The UK’s latest cyber security labour market report finds growing skills gaps alongside changes in workforce supply, diversity, and the use of AI.
The UK government has published the Cybersecurity skills in the UK labour market 2026 report, finding that 57% of UK businesses reported a basic technical skills gap, up from 49% in the previous assessment. The report estimates that around 145,900 people were working in the UK cybersecurity workforce in 2025, a 2% increase on the previous year. At the same time, 53% of cyber firms expected to grow their workforce in 2026, down from the previous assessment, while average core cybersecurity job postings increased by 7% compared with 2024.
The report found mixed trends in the supply of cybersecurity skills. The number of cybersecurity graduates increased by 14% to 7,950, while enrolment in cybersecurity-specific apprenticeships fell by 15%. The report also estimates that around 8,600 people entered the cybersecurity workforce through formal education and training pathways in 2025. It estimates that around 5,800 people may leave the workforce each year, meaning that new entrants are needed both to replace those leaving and to meet additional demand.
The research also highlights disparities in the composition of the workforce. Women accounted for 16% of the cybersecurity workforce, compared with 48% of the UK workforce, while disabled people accounted for 9%, compared with 18% across the UK workforce. The proportion of neurodivergent staff reported by employers increased from 9% in 2020 to 22% in the latest assessment, although the report notes that this may partly reflect improvements in identification and reporting.
AI is becoming increasingly embedded in cybersecurity work. Seventy per cent of cybersecurity businesses reported that staff used AI in their day-to-day work, up from 53% in the previous assessment. The report’s qualitative research also points to expectations that AI and automation will transform the sector, potentially changing the skills required across cybersecurity roles.
The eighth report in the series covers the 2025 calendar year and examines the size and composition of the cybersecurity workforce, demand for skills, education and apprenticeship pathways, professional retraining and upskilling, skills gaps and shortages, and diversity. It forms part of the UK government’s wider work on cybersecurity skills, the cyber ecosystem, and cyber resilience.
Why does it matter?
The findings show that increasing the number of people entering cybersecurity does not necessarily translate into sufficient skills across the wider workforce. Graduate numbers are rising, but apprenticeship participation has declined, workforce growth has slowed, and more businesses report gaps in basic technical capabilities. At the same time, the rapid adoption of AI is changing the skills that cybersecurity professionals need, making both entry routes and continuing skills development relevant to the sector’s workforce capacity.
