The UK cyber security workforce is large and still 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 government's Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2025 report. That acceleration tells us demand is real and sustained, so the pool of experienced people is spread thin across a widening set of roles.
Yet growth alone does not solve the hiring problem. The proportion of employers struggling to fill vacancies has declined, but a comparison with the Cyber Security Skills 2024 report showed 70% of cyber firms reported at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the AI Labour Market Survey 2025. In defence and security, where the work is sensitive and the standards are high, that gap bites harder than in most sectors.
A cyber range is a controlled, simulated environment where people practise defending and attacking networks safely. Employers name these skills in job adverts because they want evidence, not claims. Someone who has worked in a range can show how they detect an intrusion, triage an incident and respond under pressure.
This matters because the workforce is expanding quickly while hard-to-fill vacancies persist the AI Labour Market Survey 2025. When experienced people are scarce, employers lean on practical proof to separate candidates who can do the job from those who only read about it. Range experience is one of the clearest signals available.
Roles asking for these skills tend to cluster around a few areas: security operations centre analysts, incident responders, threat hunters, penetration testers and red and blue team specialists. The common thread is hands-on performance in a live, if simulated, scenario.
Start by writing the advert around what the person will actually do. Describe the environment, the scenarios and the outcomes you expect, not a long list of certificates. With 70% of cyber firms reporting at least one hard-to-fill vacancy the AI Labour Market Survey 2025, a clear, specific advert helps the right people recognise themselves in the role.
Then assess for proof. A practical exercise, a walkthrough of a past incident or a short scenario tells you far more than a conversation about tools. Ask someone to explain a decision they made in a range: what they saw, what they did next and why.
Finally, move quickly and respectfully. In a workforce growing from 2% in 2022 to 5% in 2024 the government's Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2025 report, the strongest people have options. A slow or vague process loses them. Keep feedback honest, keep timelines tight and keep security clearance expectations clear from the first message.
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