77% of UK cyber pros missed raises; 48% plan to leave

Seventy-seven percent of UK cybersecurity professionals did not receive pay rises last year, while 23% reported salary increases, according to the 2026 Harvey Nash Tech Talent & Salary Report. The survey covers salary movement and talent intentions across UK technology roles.

The report found pay increases were more common in other technical roles: 60% of DevOps staff and 60% of infrastructure support workers reported raises, and 55% of machine learning professionals saw pay growth. Fewer than half of cybersecurity practitioners (45%) expect a pay rise this year, compared with stronger expectations among respondents in the other technical areas.

Ankur Anand, CIO at Harvey Nash, called the findings a “wake-up call” for employers and warned that compensation shortfalls affect career progression and working conditions. “We’re asking cybersecurity teams to stand on the front line of business risk, yet too often we’re not matching that responsibility with the reward, progression, and operating environment that keeps people in the profession,” he said.

The report found 48% of cyber professionals intend to look for new roles within 12 months, above the UK tech average of 45%. Separate research for 2026 indicated only 34% of cybersecurity staff plan to remain with their current employer over the next year. Respondents cited falling job satisfaction, rising workloads and a lack of regular wage progression as reasons for considering a move.

Harvey Nash warned that the failure to provide regular pay increases could worsen existing shortages of cybersecurity skills. Other studies have recorded a rise in advertised cybersecurity roles while organizations report difficulty filling vacancies.

Research from De Montfort University in 2025 found that persistent skills gaps increase the likelihood of successful cyber attacks against firms. The Harvey Nash report recommends that organizations make cyber staff more visible to senior leadership and improve pay, career paths and working conditions. Anand added that organizations that address those areas are more likely to retain employees and maintain trust with customers, regulators and boards.