What do the broad labor signals say?

BLS's updated Information Security Analysts page reports a $129,180 median annual wage for May 2025, 192,900 jobs in 2025, 21% projected employment growth from 2025 to 2035, and about 14,100 annual openings over that projection period. Openings include replacement needs; they are not a count of vacancies currently advertised.

CyberSN's January–September 2026 analysis, using JobSpikr data mapped to its role taxonomy, reports 235,786 US postings, versus 320,210 in the comparable 2025 period, a 26.4% decline. Its data was pulled on 7 October 2026. Postings are not unique employed people or accepted hires.

These findings can coexist. BLS models a defined occupation over ten years, while CyberSN observes a broader role taxonomy over a shorter window. Neither is a direct measure of this buyer's allocated budget, supplier revenue or current time-to-hire.

Buyer implication, as an inference: plan around the work and approval you actually have. Do not justify a hiring premium or an outsourcing decision solely by saying “the skills shortage” or “the market is growing.”