Only 34% of cyber professionals plan to stay in their current role

If you're daydreaming about changing jobs, you're not alone: with job satisfaction declining, cybersecurity professionals are on the move.

According to IANS and Artico Search's 2026 Cybersecurity Talent Report, only 34% of cybersecurity professionals plan to stay with their current employer over the next year, citing dwindling budgets and expanding responsibilities.

This presents a major challenge for cybersecurity leaders, who already face steep cyber skills shortages.

“Security leaders are being asked to do much more with the same or fewer resources than they had previously, and that fundamentally changes how they need to think about talent,” said Nick Kakolowski, senior research director at IANS.

“As pressure on cyber teams skyrockets, CISOs who double down on mentorship, coaching and career development can create a sense of purpose and progression that helps their employees avoid burnout.”

It's not absolute pay levels that influence workers – it's getting a pay rise. Employees receiving even modest pay increases reported significantly higher satisfaction, and were more likely to stay in the job than those whose pay stayed the same, regardless of what that pay was.

Workers were also keen on hybrid working: such arrangements, particularly when they involved one-to-two days on-site per week, delivered the strongest work-life balance outcomes.

A focus on security was found to motivate security staff, with 73% of those who see security as a core organizational priority reporting that they were satisfied with their careers. This compared to just 19% among those who perceive little or no organizational backing for security.

The researchers found a median annual paycheck of $113,000 for security analysts, with $187,000 for the top 10%. For security architects, the median is $188,000, with the top 10% pulling in $260,000.

Middle management pay aligns closely with that range, said the researchers, with functional department leader compensation having a median of around $256,000, and $380,000 for the top 10%.

Organizations making more than $5 billion in revenue pay 18% to 20% above the overall average, with additional premiums at publicly listed companies. Meanwhile, at public and many privately held companies, around a third of functional staff and more than half of senior leadership also receive equity distributions.

"These compensation numbers are highly correlated with both company scale and complexity,” said Steve Martano, IANS faculty member and partner at Artico Search.

“Regulated companies such as banks, product companies such as Fortune 500 SaaS organizations, and OT-/IoT-centric roles in aerospace and defense and advanced manufacturing command the highest salaries."

In a separate study of CISOs, the researchers found that more than half faced staffing shortages on their teams, most often caused by hiring or budget constraints. The team advises offering regular wage progression, investing in culture and security to strengthen perceptions of career development, and improving work-life balance through flexible work arrangements.

“Security leaders are navigating a complex talent environment where expectations are rising, but resources are not,” said Martano.

“We still see junior-level cyber professionals commanding high levels of compensation, but it is clear that top-quartile talent is seeking more than just a hearty paycheck. Visibility, career growth, and support from security leadership are necessary to keep high performers.”