UK cybersecurity jobs have tripled in the last five years, according to new research from Socura, with the industry now boasting more professionals than long-standing staples of the workforce, including bricklayers, architects, and armed forces officers. 

Based on an analysis of over 400 occupations tracked by the Office for National Statistics, the cyber firm’s A Wave in Cyber study found there are now 83,700 cyber professionals in the UK, up from 28,500 in 2021.

This means cybersecurity is not only the UK’s fastest-growing IT profession, but also the fifth fastest-growing role in any industry, with 4.5 cyber professionals for every 100 IT professionals – more than double the number from just five years ago.

The data shows the growth in the number of cybersecurity professionals between 2021 and summer 2025 was 194%, compared to just 9.6% for other IT roles. Programmers and developers, meanwhile, have seen a steep drop, with over 50,000 fewer roles than at the 2023 demand peak.

The report may offer some reassurance after last year’s surge in cyber‑attacks, with Socura finding the UK now has one cyber professional for every sixty‑eight businesses, a dramatic improvement on the one‑to‑196 ratio seen in 2021.

“The latest ONS employment figures prove that cyber security is no longer a niche industry—it is a cornerstone of the UK economy,” said Andrew Kays, Socura CEO.

“For the UK to remain a global leader in online safety, we must ensure that we continue to develop talent with the skills needed to keep pace with modern threats and that a career in cyber is accessible to everyone.”

That ambition will be hampered by a persistent gender imbalance and significant regional divides among cyber workers, highlighted in the report.

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While the number of women working in the UK cyber industry has increased 163% since 2021, growing from 6,800 in 2021 to 17,900, that still means only one in five cybersecurity professionals is female. 

Added to that, the South East remains home to the highest number of cybersecurity professionals in the UK, followed by London, with each region counting a cyber workforce of over 12,000. However, other regions are catching up, most noticeably Scotland, which recorded a 700% jump in cyber workers in five years, although the study notes that this figure comes with a caveat, as the 2021 baseline was notably low.