Understanding the UK cyber security sector and labour market
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-22)

The government is carrying out research to help understand and measure the UK cyber security labour market and sector.

The government is undertaking the latest in an annual survey about the UK cyber security labour market and sector. The research involves talking to the individuals responsible for cyber security in UK businesses, public sector organisations and charities, as well as the individuals running UK cyber security sector businesses, recruitment agents, cyber security training providers and investors in the sector. This research will help inform future policy and strategy.

Ipsos UK and Perspective Economics have been commissioned to carry out this important research.

Ipsos UK will be collecting data for this study using a combination of a survey and qualitative interviews.

One part of the survey is asked to UK cyber security businesses and will help understand and measure the UK cyber security sector, including growth, barriers and support needs.

The other part of the survey is asked to UK businesses (including cyber security businesses), public sector organisations and charities to help understand the UK cyber security labour market, including how organisations approach employing and training cyber security professionals, and understanding the issues they face during this process.

Ipsos UK will also conduct 50 qualitative interviews with some of those who take part in the survey, as well as with other individuals, including those in cyber security roles, recruitment agents, cyber security training providers and investors in the cyber security sector.

The research will continue to inform government policy on the profile of the cyber security sector and labour market. You can view the reports from the previous Cyber security sectoral analysis 2025 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-sectoral-analysis-2025) and the previous Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2025 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-skills-in-the-uk-labour-market-2025).

Taking part

Survey fieldwork will be conducted by Ipsos UK and will take place online and by telephone from July 2025 to October 2025. During this period some organisations will be called by an Ipsos interviewer from their Edinburgh office inviting them to take part.

The survey will take around 15 to 22 minutes, depending on your answers.

The qualitative interviews will take place between September 2025 and December 2025 via Microsoft Teams or by telephone.

Each qualitative interview will last for around 45 to 60 minutes.

The government and Ipsos UK can give the following reassurances about the survey:

taking part is totally confidential and anonymous for all individuals and organisations

the survey is not technical and participants do not need any specific IT knowledge

Who is being invited to take part?

Ipsos UK is inviting the senior person within these organisations, with the most knowledge or responsibility when it comes to cyber security to take part. In some organisations this might be a specific individual or Head of Department, while in other organisations it might be the business owner or one of the charity trustees. In cyber sector businesses, this will be a senior individual with oversight of the organisation’s recruitment and training needs.

private sector businesses have been selected at random from the Market Location business database

public sector organisations across the UK have been selected at random from the government’s Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR)

charities have been selected from the UK’s three charity regulator databases: the Charity Commission in England and Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

cyber sector businesses have been selected from a list compiled by Perspective Economics from various commercial business databases and publicly available information

For further information, please see Ipsos UK’s privacy policy attached above.