Barracuda’s 2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, published October 21, finds that 56% of surveyed organizations have cut security staff in connection with AI adoption, with the reductions split evenly between entry-level and senior positions. The cuts come even as 94% of respondents say they face cybersecurity skills gaps, with AI-related risks cited as the most common challenge.
According to Barracuda’s press release, the report is based on a survey of 2,000 mid- to senior-level IT and security decision-makers at organizations with 100 to 2,000 employees worldwide.
What the survey found
Nearly all respondents (94%) report cybersecurity skills gaps, and 79% say AI is already affecting security roles or headcount, Barracuda said. The most commonly cited gaps relate to AI risks such as highly targeted, AI-generated phishing and social engineering (68%), followed by advanced identity and phishing threats including business email compromise, OAuth abuse and multifactor authentication bypass (67%).
A separate Barracuda spending study published September 23 adds context on how organizations are paying for AI: 18% of respondents have reallocated part of their security software budget to cover AI adoption, 23% expect to reduce dedicated cybersecurity staff as they adopt AI, 34% are limiting future hiring, and 20% are strategically reducing overall employee numbers. Barracuda noted in that research that AI is unlikely to remove the need for qualified security professionals.
How roles are changing
Rather than eliminating security work, AI is shifting it. Barracuda’s analysis describes AI taking over routine analysis and response while human roles move toward threat investigation, incident leadership, automation governance and business risk management. The company frames the change as a shift from a staffing gap to a skills gap.
Most organizations are keeping humans in the loop: 69% use a shared incident-response model in which AI supports investigation and analysis but people retain responsibility for context, judgment and final decisions. More than half (56%) say they need additional skills in incident response, decision-making under pressure and risk management.
Regional pressure
Benelux respondents reported even higher numbers in a regional release published October 22: 95% report cybersecurity skills shortages, 85% say AI is already influencing security roles or headcount, and 63% have experienced AI-driven staff reductions, again split evenly between junior and senior roles.
What organizations should do
- Barracuda recommends prioritizing skills over headcount cuts, focusing on incident response, decision-making under pressure and risk management capabilities.
- Senior security roles should combine technical expertise with AI literacy, identity security knowledge, governance awareness and communication skills so staff can oversee AI tools and translate technical risk into business impact.
- Organizations should not assume AI replaces the need for qualified professionals, and should invest in upskilling and reconfiguring roles toward threat investigation, incident leadership and automation governance.
The survey data does not cover how AI-linked staff reductions are affecting security outcomes such as response times or breach rates, nor whether particular industry sectors are seeing deeper cuts than others. Which specific role types — SOC analysts, incident responders or governance staff, for example — are being cut most often also remains unclear from the published material.