After a torrid 2024, the wider macroeconomic conditions affecting cyber security professionals showed signs of levelling off in 2025, with reports of budget cuts and layoffs to cyber teams dropping slightly this year after surging in the prior period. However, constrained budgets remain a key driver behind the ongoing cyber skills shortage. This is according to the annual Cybersecurity workforce study produced by cyber professional association ISC2, which polled over 16,000 security professionals to produce this year's report.
The cybersecurity landscape is a dynamic arena in which innovation and threats evolve relentlessly. ISACA's State of Cybersecurity 2025 report - drawing insights from more than 3,800 professionals worldwide - offers a critical snapshot of this environment. It highlights persistent staffing shortages, the transformative impact of AI, rising stress levels and constrained budgets. Together, these findings underscore the delicate balance organizations must strike between technology, talent and well-being.