Cybersecurity Roles in High Demand as Salaries Soar to Billions
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Artificial intelligence (AI) advancements are heightening concerns about the future of many human jobs. Numerous reports suggest certain professions will become obsolete due to sophisticated AI tools.
Current signs of pressure on workers are evident, from ongoing waves of layoffs to sluggish new hiring and companies heavily investing in AI adoption and development.
However, a recent New York Times report highlights a profession in high demand: cybersecurity.
Executive talent firm Heidrick & Struggles reports a surge in requests for professionals experienced in responding to security breaches and data protection. “Roles that were previously requested annually are now needed weekly,” said Austin Cowan, a headhunter at Heidrick & Struggles, cited by the New York Times on 26 May 2026.
As AI brings significant changes, security risks associated with the technology have spurred a new wave of cybersecurity expert recruitment. Demand is so high that some recruitment firms have had to decline clients due to a shortage of qualified candidates.
Cybersecurity job openings rose 11% in Q1 2026 compared to the previous year, according to Glassdoor, a job search platform.
The surge in hiring stems from tech workers increasingly using AI to generate code, which often introduces bugs and vulnerabilities. Leading AI companies warn that new technologies, such as Anthropic’s Mythos model, can be used to find and exploit software flaws, making corporate infrastructure more susceptible to hacking.
This hiring frenzy illustrates how AI is creating new job opportunities even as it threatens to displace most workers.
“We will need people to tackle the ‘bug apocalypse’,” said Lea Kissner, LinkedIn’s chief information security officer. “I believe we won’t fully grasp how to implement sustainable, long-term AI security for years to come,” she added. Kissner noted that firms are seeking engineers with technical skills, openness to handle ambiguity and confusion from the AI revolution, and understanding of complex corporate infrastructures.
“Job markets for cybersecurity experts are increasingly sought after,” Kissner said.
Anthropic’s Surge
Companies have found it increasingly common to seek highly technical cybersecurity experts since Anthropic previewed Mythos, said Michael Piacente, a managing partner at Hitch Partners, an executive search firm specialising in security. His firm has been inundated with requests.
“Since last autumn, demand has increased five to sevenfold,” he said. “As a result, we’ve had to decline many searches,” he added.
Some cybersecurity experts are studying AI to boost their competitiveness in the job market.
High Salaries
Candidates interviewed for top cybersecurity roles have significant bargaining power, recruiters say, with salary packages rising sharply. However, offers are not as high as those for top AI researchers, who can earn up to US$250 million (Rp4.4 trillion).
Cowan said US$7-8 million (Rp12.4-14.2 billion) packages are now common for security executives. “Those salary benchmarks would have shocked people a few years ago,” he said. “There’s recognition that few people have these skills, so we have to recruit them.”
The hiring frenzy has spread to mid-level roles, with security engineers demanding higher pay and more attractive positions, intensifying recruitment competition, said Dr Kissner.
“AI has made us busier,” Dr Kissner said. “This applies to everyone I know in the security field.”