The Rising Tide: Cybersecurity Workers (Unions) and the New Labor Movement in Tech

The Rising Tide: Cybersecurity Workers (Unions) and the New Labor Movement in Tech
Photo by Skyler Gerald / Unsplash

How AI, Immigration Policies, and Mass Layoffs Are Driving Tech Workers Toward Collective Action

The technology sector, once synonymous with lavish perks, astronomical salaries, and job security, is undergoing a fundamental transformation. As artificial intelligence reshapes workflows, immigration policies create uncertainty, and mass layoffs ripple through even the most prestigious companies, a new labor movement is emerging. At the center of this transformation are cybersecurity professionals—highly skilled workers who find themselves caught between unprecedented demand for their expertise and growing threats to their job security.

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The Perfect Storm: Multiple Pressures Converging

Mass Layoffs Hit the Tech Sector

The numbers tell a stark story. In 2025 alone, approximately 80,000 tech jobs have been eliminated, with major players across the industry implementing sweeping cuts. The casualties include household names: Intel eliminated 15,000 positions, Microsoft cut 1,000 jobs, and numerous cybersecurity firms like Sophos conducted layoffs following major acquisitions.

CrowdStrike, a major cybersecurity company, slashed 500 jobs or 5% of its workforce, explicitly citing "a market and technology inflection point, with AI reshaping every industry". This statement encapsulates the dual pressures facing the sector: economic uncertainty combined with technological disruption.

For cybersecurity professionals, these layoffs are particularly jarring given the field's reputation for job security. Industry projections estimate 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2025, with cybercrime predicted to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion annually. The paradox of mass layoffs in a field with critical talent shortages has become a rallying point for worker organizing efforts.

The H1B Visa Controversy

Adding fuel to worker frustrations is the ongoing controversy surrounding H1B visas. Critics point to companies like Microsoft, which applied for thousands of H1B visas while simultaneously conducting layoffs, arguing this practice favors cheaper foreign workers over U.S.-born staff.

The data reveals troubling patterns. The top 30 H1B employers hired 34,000 new H1B workers in 2022 while laying off at least 85,000 workers in 2022 and early 2023. This has created a two-tiered system where H1B workers face extreme vulnerability—laid-off H1B workers must find new employment within 60 days or face deportation—while domestic workers increasingly question whether the program undermines their job security.

For H1B immigrants in cybersecurity, layoffs can have immediate and severe consequences. The H1B visa is tied to employment, meaning that losing a job can jeopardize an immigrant's legal status in the U.S. The uncertainty surrounding job security can take a toll on mental and emotional well-being.

The AI Disruption Question

Perhaps no factor generates more anxiety among cybersecurity professionals than the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. While experts largely agree that AI won't completely replace cybersecurity jobs, the technology is fundamentally reshaping what these roles look like.

According to Sam Hector, Senior Strategy Leader at IBM Security, AI will "fundamentally shift the skills we require. Humans will focus more on strategy, analytics, and program improvements. This will necessitate continuous skills development of existing staff to pivot their roles around the evolving capabilities of AI".

The impact varies by role level and complexity. AI systems can now perform a variety of tasks that were once handled by entry-level analysts, such as drafting reports, generating alerts, and assembling presentations for management. By taking over these repetitive jobs, AI gives human professionals more time to focus on complex problems and big-picture strategy.

However, trust in AI's autonomous capabilities remains limited. Only 29% of cybersecurity teams trust AI to act independently, with just 10% of analysts sharing that confidence. This suggests that while AI will transform cybersecurity work, human oversight and expertise remain crucial.

The key insight for cybersecurity professionals is clear: "AI won't fully replace cybersecurity jobs, but instead, evolve them. However, not learning how to apply AI to your work will put your job at risk from automation to routine tasks, such as scanning logs for unusual patterns or flagging potential threats".

The Union Response: Tech Workers Organize

A Growing Movement

Against this backdrop of uncertainty, tech workers are increasingly turning to collective action. The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) represents over 4,000 worker-organizers fighting to build voice and power in the tech, games, and digital industries across the United States and Canada.

The Tech Workers Coalition is organizing to build worker power through rank-and-file self-organization and education, guided by their vision for an inclusive and equitable tech industry. These organizations represent a democratically structured, worker-led approach to addressing industry-wide challenges.

International Cybersecurity Union Efforts

The movement extends beyond the United States. In the UK, UTAW (United Tech and Allied Workers) was formed by ex-Alphabet and Meta employees as an official branch of the Communication Workers Union. Workers across the sector have realized that work won't love them back in times of need.

UTAW specifically represents workers in cybersecurity and other tech roles, addressing issues from metric-driven management to workplace surveillance. Google workers are organizing against changes to Google's AI Principles, degradation of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion standards, and for union recognition at Google UK.

Globally, tech unionization is expanding. In 2021, UNI Global Union and international workers of Alphabet announced Alpha Global to assist in organizing the company's global workforce. Similar efforts are emerging in Germany, Israel, South Korea, and other countries.

Why Cybersecurity Workers Are Joining

After fruitless dialogue through official channels, cybersecurity workers are using their entrepreneurial spirit to reach out to frustrated colleagues and unionize their workplaces. The appeal isn't hard to understand: workers in the tech sector are facing several challenges, including the misuse of Personal Improvement Plans (PIPs) against marginalized workers, rampant nepotism, and toxic workplace cultures.

The union movement addresses specific concerns relevant to cybersecurity professionals:

Job Security: Unions help protect workers from overwork, underpay, poor working conditions, bullying bosses, and the innumerable exploitative practices of the tech industry.

Professional Development: Through organizing, workers gain a voice on matters large and small, better equipping them to speak up around their core values while improving wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Industry Ethics: Union members work to improve conditions for temp, vendor, and contractor workers; fight against the unethical use of their labor; end hiring, wage, and retention discrimination; and ensure that their work benefits society rather than creating harm.

The Economics of Cybersecurity Labor

Compensation Realities

Despite the field's critical importance, cybersecurity compensation varies widely, particularly when comparing different company types and experience levels. At FAANG companies, a new graduate security engineer at Google in NYC might receive $135k base salary, $130k in stock options, and a $15k signing bonus. However, interviews typically include easy LeetCode-level problems plus extensive networking knowledge requirements.

The salary landscape reflects broader inequalities in the tech sector, with significant gaps between entry-level positions and senior roles, between different company types, and between unionized and non-unionized workers.

The Skills Gap Paradox

Despite layoffs, labor shortages persist. Over 43.4% of companies had more than 50 technical roles they were unable to fill in the past year, which make up 68.8% of approved H1B visa holders in 2021. This paradox—simultaneous layoffs and labor shortages—highlights the mismatch between available skills and industry needs.

The gap particularly affects cybersecurity, where skilled defenders are needed more than ever as cybercrime escalates. However, the combination of rapidly evolving skill requirements, visa restrictions, and economic uncertainty creates barriers to filling these critical positions.

The Future of Cybersecurity Work

Adaptation Strategies

For cybersecurity professionals navigating this changing landscape, several strategies emerge from the research:

Embrace AI as a Tool: AI should be seen as a powerful tool that supports, rather than replaces, human cybersecurity expertise. The integration requires balance—while AI automates tasks and spots patterns, human expertise ensures nuanced threats don't slip through.

Develop Strategic Skills: The rise of AI in cybersecurity has spawned entirely new job categories, restructuring the profession around data-centric and model-centric competencies. Roles like AI Threat Analyst, ML Security Engineer, and Adversarial ML Red Teamer represent the convergence of traditional security with data science and machine learning operations.

Consider Collective Action: As more tech workers become comfortable recognizing that unionizing is a path available to them, the movement continues gaining momentum. Union membership provides protection, professional development opportunities, and a voice in shaping the industry's future.

Policy Implications

The research suggests several policy areas requiring attention:

Immigration Reform: President Biden should use executive authority to fix the H1B program and implement new rules that raise wages for migrant workers and prevent outsourcing companies from exploiting the program.

Worker Protection: Through the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, employees have the legal right to form unions, engage in collective action around work issues, and protection from anti-union retaliation.

Skills Development: The future of cybersecurity will be charted by practitioners who expand their perspective, prioritize professional growth, and collectively learn how to improve their AI-centric skills and literacy.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

The Regulatory Landscape

The National Credit Union Administration's 2025 Supervisory Priorities highlight the need for organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. Compliance alone isn't enough—organizations must cultivate awareness at every level to keep up with cybercriminals' constantly shifting tactics.

This regulatory focus creates opportunities for cybersecurity professionals who can bridge the gap between technical expertise and compliance requirements. However, it also adds pressure on organizations to balance cost management with security investments.

The Global Competition

International competition for cybersecurity talent is intensifying. Countries like Germany, Israel, and South Korea are developing their own approaches to tech worker organization and protection. This global landscape affects U.S. competitiveness and worker mobility.

Union Organizing Momentum

The Tech Workers Coalition's upcoming CIRCUIT BREAKERS conference in October 2025 demonstrates the growing momentum behind tech labor organizing. As one organizer noted, "The worker organizing we're seeing right now has been the single most hopeful thing I've seen come out of the tech industry".

Conclusion: A Crossroads Moment

The cybersecurity profession stands at a critical juncture. While demand for skilled professionals remains high, the traditional employment model is under strain from technological change, economic uncertainty, and policy challenges. The emerging union movement represents one response to these pressures—an attempt to give workers more voice and security in an increasingly volatile landscape.

The future likely lies in collaboration between AI and human professionals working together to develop defense strategies and anticipate future threats. This partnership, combining problem-solving skills and deep understanding of cybersecurity principles with AI capabilities, offers a path forward for safeguarding digital assets.

For cybersecurity professionals, the choice is increasingly clear: adapt to new technologies, engage with collective organizing efforts, and help shape the future of the profession—or risk being left behind by forces beyond individual control. The stakes couldn't be higher, both for individual careers and for the critical infrastructure these professionals protect.

The union movement in cybersecurity and tech more broadly represents more than just workplace organizing—it's an attempt to ensure that the benefits of technological advancement are shared more equitably and that the professionals responsible for digital security have the job security and working conditions necessary to protect society's most critical systems.

As the industry continues to evolve, the success of these organizing efforts may well determine whether cybersecurity remains an attractive career path for the next generation of professionals, and whether the critical talent shortage can be addressed in a way that benefits both workers and the organizations that depend on their expertise.

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