Cybersecurity job postings in the US fell by 26.4% year‑over‑year from January to September 2026, according to analysis by CyberSN.
Overall decline and four‑year low
CyberSN’s analysis of JobSpikr data found 235,786 cybersecurity roles posted in the United States during January–September 2026, the lowest total in the four years the group has tracked the market. That total compares with 273,498 postings in 2023, 244,911 in 2024 and a peak of 320,210 in 2025. The drop to 235,786 represents a 26.4% year‑over‑year reduction from the January–September window in 2025.
Leadership hiring took the biggest hit
Leadership and management positions were among the hardest hit. Chief information security officer (CISO) postings fell from 4,632 in January–September 2025 to 2,832 in the same period of 2026 — a 38.9% decline. Other senior and midlevel leadership roles also contracted sharply: cybersecurity director roles fell 32.5%, cybersecurity lead roles were down 41.0%, and cybersecurity manager postings decreased by 24.4%.
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See what we buildFunction‑level picture: most areas down, research and AI roles buck the trend
Nine of the ten cybersecurity functions that CyberSN tracks showed fewer postings in 2026 than in 2025. The single exception was research roles, which increased by 26.1% year‑over‑year. Within the “defense” function, AI security engineer roles surged — jumping 268.3% in the January–September 2026 window compared with the same period in 2025.
Despite that surge in specific AI‑focused positions, the share of job postings that mention AI or machine learning in the description was roughly steady: 14.6% in 2026 versus 15.1% in 2025. September 2026 saw a pronounced monthly spike in cyber data scientist postings (667 positions in September compared with 247 in August); across all data scientist and related roles posted in 2026, 88% mentioned AI in the job description.
Employer size and quarterly stability
CyberSN’s report notes the mix of employer sizes that supplied postings in 2025: 39.9% of postings came from small businesses with 200 or fewer employees, 12.7% from firms with 201–1,000 employees, and 47.3% from large firms with 1,001 or more employees. For 2026, CyberSN observed that role postings across the three quarters it tracked stayed within 1.5% of one another.
“That is consistent with demand having settled at a lower level rather than continuing to fall,” the researchers wrote, highlighting a pattern of stability after the year‑over‑year decline.
What this means for technologists, hiring managers, and recruiters
- Technologists and security teams: The increase in research roles (up 26.1%) and the huge rise in AI security engineer postings (up 268.3%) suggest demand is shifting toward specialized skills in data science and AI‑related security work; the September spike in cyber data scientist roles (667 vs. 247 in August) underscores that movement.
- Hiring managers at enterprises: The sharp declines in leadership postings — CISOs down 38.9%, directors down 32.5%, leads down 41% — indicate fewer advertised senior hires in 2026 compared with 2025, even as specific technical skills remain sought after.
- Recruiters and talent acquisition teams: With overall postings down 26.4% and quarterly posting volumes within 1.5% of one another in 2026, demand appears to have stabilized at a lower level; recruiters will need to reconcile that settled, smaller market with the pronounced uptick in AI‑focused roles.
CyberSN’s authors explicitly caution that it is not yet clear whether the sharp decline reflects reduced employer demand or simply a return to normal after an unusually strong 2025. The available figures — large year‑over‑year drops in leadership roles, strong growth in research and AI security positions, and quarter‑to‑quarter stability in 2026 — leave a mixed picture: fewer total openings overall, but concentrated growth in a few specialized areas.
That tension is the story’s central question: will the emphasis on AI and research roles offset the broader shrinkage in advertised positions, particularly at the leadership level, or will the market remain settled at this reduced scale? CyberSN’s October 16 report supplies the data; the next indicators to watch will be whether AI‑related hiring continues to accelerate and whether leadership postings rebound or remain muted.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybersecurity-job-postings-fall/
