US Cybersecurity Job Postings Decline 26% While AI Security Engineer Demand Soars

Overall Market Contraction

The US cybersecurity job market experienced a significant downturn, with total job postings decreasing by 26.4% from 320,210 in January-September 2025 to 235,786 in the same period of 2026. This marks a new four-year low for the sector.

Surge in AI-Related Roles

Despite the general decline, specific roles related to AI and data security saw substantial growth. Demand for AI Security Engineers increased by 268.3%, and Cyber Data Scientist demand grew by 203.5% compared to the previous year. Approximately 15% of all job postings now include a reference to AI, with a peak of 20% in September 2026.

AI Integration Across Functions

The need for AI understanding is increasingly cited across various cybersecurity functions. Research roles referenced AI in 32.7% of postings (up 11.7 points), Offense in 23.3% (up 4.8 points), GRC in 19.8% (up 2.1 points), and Plan in 18.9% (up 0.6 points).

Declining Traditional Roles

Several traditional cybersecurity roles saw significant decreases in demand. Cyber Insider Threat Analyst roles dropped by 55.6% to 1,088 postings, Cyber Risk Analyst by 51.5% to 4,031 postings, and Penetration Tester by 45.9% to 3,063 postings. Other declining roles include Cybersecurity Lead, Threat Hunter, and Cybersecurity Project Manager.

Remote Work Trends

Remote work options remain prevalent in certain functional areas. Top areas for remote work include Sales (32.8%), GRC (31.2%), Offense (24.7%), Product Security (22.9%), Educate (22.8%), Research (21.9%), and Defense (21.3%).