Report by Seemplicity
The 2026 State of the Cybersecurity Workforce Report
Key Findings
45% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders work 11 or more extra hours per week.
89% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders say their position now requires significant cross-functional collaboration and business alignment.
20% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders work an additional 16 or more hours weekly.
64% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders report sufficient budget for AI.
94% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders would still choose cybersecurity as a career.
52% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders say training for human-AI collaboration is limited or insufficient.
44% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders say their role feels emotionally exhausting more often than rewarding.
73% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders say AI oversight and governance is the most important future capability.
68% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders rate technical expertise as the most important future capability.
85% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders feel pressure to strengthen communication and business skills because of AI.
82% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders say people skills are more central to cybersecurity leadership than five years ago.