The foundation for counter-disinformation work is a deep, skilled cyber and security talent pool, and that pool is growing. There are approximately 143,000 individuals in the UK cyber security workforce, with growth moderately accelerating from 2% in 2022 to 5% in 2024 the GOV.UK Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2025 report. That acceleration tells us demand is real and sustained, not a short-term spike.
Demand is outpacing supply in the hardest technical corners of the sector. A comparison with the Cyber Security Skills 2024 report showed 70% of cyber firms reported at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025. Counter-disinformation teams compete for many of the same analytical and technical people, so hiring here means standing out in a tight market.
Counter-disinformation is not a single job. It blends open-source intelligence analysts, data scientists who spot coordinated inauthentic behaviour, strategic communications specialists who counter false narratives, and security engineers who protect the platforms and data behind the work. That mix sits on top of a cyber workforce of approximately 143,000 individuals, a pool growing from 2% in 2022 to 5% in 2024 the GOV.UK Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2025 report.
The dynamic to watch is competition for the same scarce skills. With 70% of cyber firms reporting at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025, the analytical and technical people counter-disinformation teams want are the same people every security employer wants. That pushes employers to think harder about how they attract, assess and keep this talent.
Start by writing the role around capability, not a long checklist of tools. In a market where 70% of cyber firms report at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025, an over-specified job description quietly rules out strong people who could learn fast. Lead with the problem you need solved: detecting false narratives, analysing data at scale, or defending information systems.
Speed matters most when the talent pool is tight. A slow process loses good people to faster employers, so tighten every stage from first contact to offer.
When you are hiring into a competitive field, the right match matters more than a wide net. We search 15 million candidates to surface people with the analytical, technical and communications skills counter-disinformation work demands, and we manage recruitment end to end so your team stays focused on the mission. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Ready to build your team? Start today with Reed.ai.
