New IANS and Artico Search report finds only 34% of cybersecurity professionals plan to stay in their current roles – Intelligent CISO
Publish Date: 2026-04-20 03:55:00
Source Domain: www.intelligentciso.com
2026 Cybersecurity Talent Report reveals rising turnover pressure, compensation disparities and the growing importance of career progression, culture and flexibility.
IANS and Artico Search have announced the release of the 2026 Cybersecurity Talent Report, delivering new benchmark insights on compensation, roles and retention based on a survey of more than 500 security professionals.
The report finds that only 34% of cybersecurity professionals plan to stay with their current employer, highlighting declining job satisfaction across the field and challenging CISOs to be aggressive and innovative in how they retain talent in a challenging labour market.
As organisations rely on their security teams to address an increasing volume and speed of security threats, the findings point to a shift in how cybersecurity leaders must think about talent. Compensation remains important, but it is not the primary driver of retention.
“Security leaders are being asked to do much more with the same or fewer resources than they had previously, and that fundamentally changes how they need to think about talent,” said Nick Kakolowski, Senior Research Director at IANS. “As pressure on cyber teams skyrockets, CISOs who double down on mentorship, coaching and career development can create a sense of purpose and progression that helps their employees avoid burnout.”
Key findings from the report are:
• Wage growth plays a bigger role in retention than absolute pay levels: Employees receiving even modest pay increases report significantly higher satisfaction and are more likely to stay than those with flat compensation, regardless of their pay level
• CISOs need a multi-pronged approach to manage satisfaction and attrition. Flexible work models correlate strongly with satisfaction and retention: Hybrid work arrangements, particularly one to two days on-site per week, deliver the strongest work-life balance outcomes
• Leadership emphasis on…
