US Cybersecurity Job Postings Fall 26% as AI Security Engineer Demand Soars
US cybersecurity job postings fell 26.4% in 2026, while AI security roles surged.
CyberSN’s analysis of deduplicated JobSpikr data finds US cybersecurity job postings at a four-year low. There were 235,786 postings from January through September 2026, down 26.4% from 320,210 in the same period of 2025. Despite the overall decline, AI Security Engineer demand rose 268.3% and Cyber Data Scientist demand rose 203.5% year over year. Roles were mapped to CyberSN’s taxonomy of 45 functions across ten categories.
- US cyber postings fell 26.4% to a four-year low.
- 235,786 roles were posted from January through September 2026.
- AI Security Engineer demand rose 268.3% year over year.
- Cyber Data Scientist demand grew 203.5%.
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The Office of Inadequate Security
US Cybersecurity Job Postings Fall 26% as AI Security Engineer Demand Soars
Posted on October 18, 2026 October 18, 2026 by Dissent
Kevin Townsend reports:
Data for CyberSN’s jobs report is aggregated from JobSpikr (with duplicates removed). The various job titles are then analyzed and assigned to CyberSN’s taxonomy of 45 cybersecurity functional roles in ten categories. The result is an assessment of the job market by skills required rather than by the recruiting companies’ role titles.
Analyzing this dataset shows the current cybersecurity skills demand. Comparing 2026 with the same months of earlier years highlights emerging (or declining) demand for specific roles.
Overall, there has been a decline in cybersecurity job postings to a new four-year low: 235,786 postings between January and September 2026 (down 26.4% from the 320,210 recorded in the same period of 2025).
While the total number of job postings has declined, there remain emerging and notable specific numbers. For example, two specific AI and data roles have seen dramatic growth: AI Security Engineer demand has increased by 268.3% while Cyber Data Scientist demand has grown 203.5% over last year.
