Published 26 July 2024
Last updated 22 July 2025 — See all updates
Change made: Added new and updated privacy notices covering the
next phases of this research starting in summer 2025
Privacy notice for UK cyber
security sector and labour market research
PDF, 578 KB, 6
pages
Details
Details
The government is undertaking the latest in an annual survey
about the UK cyber security labour market and sector. The
research involves talking to the individuals responsible for
cyber security in UK businesses, public sector organisations and
charities, as well as the individuals running UK cyber security
sector businesses, recruitment agents, cyber security training
providers and investors in the sector. This research will help
inform future policy and strategy.
Ipsos UK and Perspective Economics have been commissioned to
carry out this important research.
Ipsos UK will be collecting data for this study using a
combination of a survey and qualitative interviews.
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One part of the survey is asked to UK cyber security
businesses and will help understand and measure the UK cyber
security sector, including growth, barriers and support
needs.
-
The other part of the survey is asked to UK businesses
(including cyber security businesses), public sector
organisations and charities to help understand the UK cyber
security labour market, including how organisations approach
employing and training cyber security professionals, and
understanding the issues they face during this process.
Ipsos UK will also conduct 50 qualitative interviews with some of
those who take part in the survey, as well as with other
individuals, including those in cyber security roles, recruitment
agents, cyber security training providers and investors in the
cyber security sector.
The research will continue to inform government policy on the
profile of the cyber security sector and labour market. You
can view the reports from the previous Cyber security
sectoral analysis 2025 and the previous Cyber security
skills in the UK labour market 2025.
Taking part
Survey fieldwork will be conducted by Ipsos UK and will take
place online and by telephone from July 2025 to October 2025.
During this period some organisations will be called by an Ipsos
interviewer from their Edinburgh office inviting them to take
part.
The survey will take around 15 to 22 minutes, depending on your
answers.
The qualitative interviews will take place between September 2025
and December 2025 via Microsoft Teams or by telephone.
Each qualitative interview will last for around 45 to 60 minutes.
The government and Ipsos UK can give the following reassurances
about the survey:
Who is being invited to take part?
Ipsos UK is inviting the senior person within these
organisations, with the most knowledge or responsibility when it
comes to cyber security to take part. In some organisations this
might be a specific individual or Head of Department, while in
other organisations it might be the business owner or one of the
charity trustees. In cyber sector businesses, this will be a
senior individual with oversight of the organisation's
recruitment and training needs.
-
private sector businesses have been selected at random from
the Market Location business database
-
public sector organisations across the UK have been selected
at random from the government's Inter-Departmental Business
Register (IDBR)
-
charities have been selected from the UK's three charity
regulator databases: the Charity Commission in England and
Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, and the
Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
-
cyber sector businesses have been selected from a list
compiled by Perspective Economics from various commercial
business databases and publicly available information
For further information, please see Ipsos UK's privacy policy
attached above.
