The backdrop is cautious but far from flat. Across 2025 businesses took a careful approach to hiring, yet clear demand hotspots stayed warm for specialist tech skills including AI, data, enterprise applications and cyber security Computer Weekly's tech recruitment outlook for 2026. For insurers, that means the general labour market may feel slow while the specific skills they need for cyber incident response stay stubbornly in demand.
Supply is tight in a way that shapes every hiring plan. There are around 143,000 people in the UK cyber security workforce, with growth moderately picking up from 2% in 2022 to 5% in 2024 the GOV.UK Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2025 report. The pool is growing, but slowly, and insurers are competing with banks, retailers and the public sector for the same people.
The pressure shows up when roles go to market. A comparison with earlier data found 70% of cyber firms reported at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the AI Labour Market Survey 2025 published on GOV.UK. When most employers in the space already struggle to fill one role, an insurer rebuilding a whole response capability after an incident feels that squeeze sharply.
A live incident exposes gaps that a quiet quarter hides. Insurers often find they have people who can write a policy and run an audit, but fewer who can triage an active breach, contain it and lead recovery. That is why incident response reshapes the team: the centre of gravity shifts towards hands-on detection and response rather than governance alone.
In practice we see demand rise for incident responders, threat hunters, security operations analysts, and forensics and recovery specialists. These roles sit alongside the AI, data and enterprise application skills that remain in high demand across the market Computer Weekly's 2026 outlook. The result is a blended team: responders who act fast, analysts who read the signals, and engineers who harden systems so the same gap does not reopen.
Team dynamics change too. Response work needs clear decision rights, shared on-call cover and strong links to claims, legal and communications. Insurers that treat cyber as a purely technical function tend to struggle; those that build cross-functional response squads recover faster and learn more from each incident.
Start with the real work, not a wish list. Define the incidents you need to handle, then map the roles that actually respond to them. With 70% of cyber firms reporting at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the AI Labour Market Survey 2025, a tight, honest role scope helps you compete for the few people who fit.
Move quickly and keep the process short. In a market where the workforce is growing only modestly, around 143,000 people and rising 5% in 2024 GOV.UK's 2025 cyber skills data, slow hiring loses strong people to faster employers. Compress your stages, give clear feedback, and make a decision while the person is still interested.
Widen the pool with potential, not just pedigree. Look for people with adjacent experience in security operations, infrastructure or data who can grow into response roles, and invest in training. Since the same specialist skills, AI, data, enterprise applications and cyber security, are in demand everywhere Computer Weekly's recruitment outlook, building talent is often more reliable than waiting for the perfect ready-made hire.
When you need to reshape a team at speed, we help you find the right people without adding to the load on your in-house team. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. That keeps the focus where it belongs: finding the specialist who can lead your response and strengthen the team for the next incident. Ready to start? Tell Reed.ai the role and we will get moving.
