CyberMontana Job Reports
Montana Cybersecurity Job Reports are focused on furthering cybersecurity education, enhancing cybersecurity literacy statewide and connecting students with jobs across Montana.
Q2 2026 Job Report
- Q2 postings hit 1,617, topping every quarter tracked over the past year, including Q1's own record run of 1,458.
- Montana-based employers accounted for 19% of postings in Q1; by Q2 that share climbed to 24%. Out-of-state and national recruiters still dominate the field, but the shift is worth watching over the next few quarters.
- Software developers, IT support specialists, and systems administrators fill most of the postings tied to cyber work. Few list "security" anywhere in the title.
- Demand for artificial intelligence skills held at 24% this quarter - exactly where it landed in Q1.
- The core challenge for Montana's workforce pipeline is that training has to be flexible enough to meet these roles where they actually live - inside IT departments, compliance offices, and product teams, not just security operations centers.
- This quarter, Employment Placement Agencies vanished from the top ten list of industries driving Montana's cyber-related postings entirely. In its place: Computer Systems Design Services jumped from seventh to second, and Commercial Banking and Administrative/Management Consulting both cracked the list for the first time. That's a shift from agency-brokered hiring toward employers posting directly.
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, and Web Hosting appeared in the top ten for the first time this quarter. Data centers and cloud infrastructure firms don't typically show up in a state the size of Montana's tech sector, so its appearance here lines up with the broader AI buildout happening nationally.
Q1 2026 Job Report
- Cybersecurity-related job postings were higher this quarter than at any point in the past year.
- A significant portion of cybersecurity-related opportunities are offered by employers headquartered outside the state.
- Cybersecurity-related work extends well beyond traditional security roles. Software development, data science, technical support, systems analysis, network architecture, compliance, and IT operations all remain important parts of the cybersecurity workforce.
- Hiring has become more selective, entry-level pathways remain challenging, and artificial intelligence is beginning to change the skills employers need.
- Employment for information security analysts is projected to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
- Many employers report cybersecurity talent shortages, yet entry-level cybersecurity hiring remains limited.
- Cybersecurity workforce development should focus on practical, flexible skills across a range of cyber-related roles - not only traditional cybersecurity job titles. As AI becomes more common in the workplace, workers will also need the skills to use AI tools responsibly, understand AI-related risks, and help protect the systems and data those tools rely on.