Hiring across financial services has been measured, not frantic. Against a subdued 2025 economic backdrop, businesses took a cautious approach to hiring, but clear demand hotspots stayed open for specialist skills including AI, data, enterprise applications and cyber security Computer Weekly's tech recruitment outlook for 2026. For insurers absorbing a steady rise in cyber claims, that split matters: general headcount may hold flat while the need for specialist talent keeps climbing.
The wider picture tells you where the pressure sits. Within financial services, recruitment has generally been for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles rather than RQF 3-5 roles the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, firms are chasing higher-skilled, better-qualified people, exactly the profile a growing cyber line of business demands.
Cyber claims growth draws on two talent pools at once: insurance expertise and security expertise. The security side is still scarce. 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 is a small, slow-growing pool for insurers to compete over.
Demand is sharpest where supply is thinnest. A comparison with the 2024 cyber skills data showed 70% of cyber firms reported at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025. For insurers, that translates into open seats for cyber underwriters who can price evolving risk, claims handlers who understand breach response, incident and forensics specialists, and risk analysts who can read threat data.
When the talent pool is small and slow to grow, the usual job-advert approach rarely works. Start by widening the net. Candidates who can serve a cyber line sit in both insurance and security, so search across sectors rather than only inside your own. Write for the person, not the job title: spell out the risk problems they will own, and the data and tools they will work with.
Speed is the second lever. With 70% of cyber firms reporting at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the GOV.UK AI Labour Market Survey 2025, strong people move quickly. Shortlist fast, interview sooner, and keep the process short. Finally, invest in building talent, not just buying it: progression routes from RQF 3-5 into the RQF 6+ roles insurers are chasing the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report turn today's shortage into tomorrow's pipeline.
When specialist talent is scarce, reach and speed decide who hires first. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. Tell us the role, and we will get started today.
