The 2026 Barclay Simpson Salary Survey & Recruitment Trends Guide: Data Privacy & AI Governance

Content overview

Data privacy and AI governance permanent jobs market

Contract jobs in data privacy and AI governance

AI in data privacy and AI governance recruitment

Equality, diversity and inclusion in data privacy and AI governance

Salary and bonus trends for data privacy and AI governance

Data privacy and AI governance salaries

Barclay Simpson has been producing market reports across the areas we recruit for since 1990. For the 2026 edition of our Salary Survey and Recruitment Trends Guide for the data privacy and AI governance market, we surveyed data privacy and AI governance professionals and their employers to gather their views on the issues affecting the profession.

This includes trends affecting permanent jobs and contract jobs, as well as wider developments shaping the data privacy and AI governance market, such as artificial intelligence and equality, diversity and inclusion. We also examine current salary trends and provide the latest salary ranges for data privacy and AI governance jobs.

Data privacy and AI governance permanent jobs market

2025 was the year in which AI governance made its presence felt in the job market.

“Throughout 2025 there was change in the air,” says Matt Smyth, Principal Consultant at Barclay Simpson. “At the beginning of the year, this new career path mainly took the form of data privacy professionals adding AI governance to their existing roles. But by early summer, dedicated AI governance roles had started to appear.”

“At the beginning of the year, this new career path mainly took the form of data privacy professionals adding AI governance to their existing roles. But by early summer, dedicated AI governance roles had started to appear.”

Jobs in this emerging area are now increasing steadily as more and more businesses discover the need for dedicated governance resource to oversee their AI developments

In our latest survey, an impressive 86% of AI governance candidates were either very or somewhat confident about their prospects in the current job market.

Candidate confidence in the AI governance job market

How confident are you in the current job market
(% AI governance candidates)

As opportunities grew, the positioning of AI governance roles in the business remained fluid. There was an emerging consensus, however, that AI governance would sit under data protection and privacy.

“We see more and more data privacy professionals exploring AI governance openings, as it’s clearly a future-proofed area,” says Matt.

At this early stage, what hiring companies are looking for is direct experience of AI.

“AI governance structures are starting to appear, and there’s definitely increased demand for the skillset,” says Matt. “For the moment, employers want practical AI capabilities and familiarity with the EU AI Act.”

“AI governance structures are starting to appear, and there’s definitely increased demand for the skillset. For the moment, employers want practical AI capabilities and familiarity with the EU AI Act.”

Data privacy job market continues to plateau

Meanwhile, the data privacy job market passed through its third consecutive year of subdued activity, with fewer data privacy jobs available. 41% of data privacy candidates in our survey identified lack of advertised data privacy jobs as a challenge in securing a new role.

Data privacy candidates’ challenges

Challenge % of candidates
Advertised salaries or day rates too low 68%
Challenging recruitment processes 41%
Too few jobs being advertised 41%
Hesitant to move from current role 29%
Other 4%

Respondents could select all options that applied

However, the subdued nature of the job market did not mean there was insufficient data privacy work to be done. In our survey, 56% of employers of data privacy and AI governance professionals said staff shortages were affecting team or departmental performance. And an overwhelming 95% said that finding skilled talent in the data privacy jobs market was either very or somewhat challenging.

To an extent, this low level of recruitment activity was merely reflective of the broader job market. At the end of 2025, KPMG and REC observed in their UK Report on Jobs survey that permanent staff appointments had fallen at their fastest rate in four months.

Specific to data privacy, however, was a slight loss of stigma around data breaches, weakening the drive to recruit in this area.

“Following a number of high-profile data breaches, businesses perceive the reputational risk to be lower than it would have been ten years ago,” says Sophie Spencer, Senior Director at Barclay Simpson. “And because of cyber security advancements, highly sensitive data such as credit card details tends to be better protected. As a result, companies seem more relaxed about the prospect of a breach. Besides, with the Data Protection Act and GDPR firmly embedded, most organisations now have a framework and processes in place to minimise risk.”

“Following a number of high-profile data breaches, businesses perceive the reputational risk to be lower than it would have been ten years ago,”

The data privacy jobs market plateau was reflected in candidates’ confidence levels, which showed little change from the previous year’s survey.

Candidate confidence in the data privacy job market

Confidence level 2025 (% data privacy candidates) 2024 (% data privacy candidates)
Very confident 19% 20%
Somewhat confident 50% 68%
Not at all confident 31% 12%

Employers’ experience of the data privacy and AI governance job market

Low candidate confidence was borne out in our findings around employers’ AI governance and data privacy recruitment plans. Only 10% of employers of data privacy and AI governance professionals said they were very likely to hire additional permanent staff in 2026.

Likelihood of permanent staff recruitment in 2026

How likely are you to hire additional permanent staff in 2026?
(% employers)

Employers reported ongoing challenges with permanent AI governance and data privacy recruitment – compensation challenges and insufficient knowledge ranked highest.

Challenges in finding skilled talent

Factor % of data privacy and AI governance employers
Compensation challenges 67%
Insufficient technical/regulatory knowledge 61%
Remote working policies 44%
Poor cultural fit 39%
Diversity and inclusion targets 11%
Office location 11%

Respondents could select all options that applied

AI governance on a growth path

A 2025 study by the Cisco-led AI Workforce Consortium found that AI risk and governance specialist jobs were the fastest growing among 50 IT jobs examined across rich countries.

Our survey revealed that 57% of AI governance professionals were working in consultancy firms. Other sectors were insurance, asset management and fintech. 86% were somewhat or very confident in the current job market.

Uncontrolled use of AI tools was widespread in many businesses, amounting to huge compliance risks for IT leaders. But boards increasingly demanded scrutiny of formal usage at least, presenting a positive opportunity for governance professionals to reposition themselves in the AI world.

“As data privacy professionals prepare to move into AI governance, certifications such as the IAPP/AI governance qualifications are gaining popularity,” says Matt. “But at present, direct AI experience is the overwhelming priority for hiring companies.”

“Direct AI experience is the overwhelming priority for hiring companies.”

Although UK businesses were not mandated to comply with the EU AI Act, it was widely recognised as best practice, setting a benchmark for AI governance. The Act provided a classification of AI risks, from unacceptable to minimal, the latter covering the majority of applications currently in use within the EU.

There were concerns, however, that the Act was too heavy-handed, smothering innovation with red tape. Following EU pushback in November 2025, a simplified version was set to supersede the current framework of the Act.

“The EU AI Act is a framework that can give stakeholders reassurance about governance and risk management,” says Matt. “Any simplification would be welcome, as it would encourage secure experimentation and adoption.”

Contract jobs in data privacy and AI governance

In 2025, we saw a continuation of the slowdown of the data privacy contractor job market, mirroring the broader economy in which temporary contracts declined at a rapid pace, according to KPMG and REC.

The number of employers contracting interim resource for specific projects increased this year to 54%. However, the lack of regulatory change acted as a significant restraint on both the permanent and contract job markets.

Similarly, we saw a modest increase in the number of employers hiring contractors for ‘business as usual’ workload, from 18% to 25% – again, signalling a focus on the day to day rather than transformational change.

Primary reasons for using contractor support

Primary reason % of employers
Specific projects 54%
Support BAU due to increased workloads 30%
Keep permanent headcount low 8%
Provide cover for absences 8%

 

AI in data privacy and AI governance recruitment

2025 was the year of AI breakthrough in recruitment. Two-thirds of recruiters were planning to make more use of AI for screening calls alone, according to LinkedIn.

For this reason, we have introduced a section about the use of AI in recruitment in our annual surveys, covering both employer and candidate perspectives.

Our survey revealed that employers of data privacy and AI governance professionals were using AI for a range of activities in their recruitment processes.

Employers’ use of AI in recruitment processes

AI use case % of data privacy and AI governance employers
CV screening and shortlisting 56%
Sourcing candidates 44%
Writing and targeting job adverts 33%
Interview support 33%
Candidate communications and scheduling 22%

Respondents could select all options that applied

Employers were divided about whether the use of AI in recruitment was a positive development. In our survey, 15% said it was neither more effective nor more efficient than traditional methods, but only 17% saw it as a threat to the integrity of their recruitment processes.

Employers did have a range of specific concerns, however, about the impact of AI in recruitment. All issues were to do with the reliability of candidate assessment, and the two biggest were the integrity of information on CVs and the quality of candidate sourcing and selection.

Employers’ concerns about the impact of AI in recruitment

Concern % of data privacy and AI governance employers
Integrity of information on CVs 72%
Quality of candidate sourcing and selection 67%
Impersonation (difficulties in establishing candidates’ identity across the process) 50%
Integrity of interviews 28%

Respondents could select all options that applied

Overall, candidates for AI governance and data privacy jobs had slightly negative feelings about the use of AI in recruitment. In our survey, 61% said that it made processes worse rather than better, and 51% believed it was neither more efficient nor more effective than traditional methods.

As might be expected, a comparison of data privacy and AI governance candidates’ responses presented a contrasting picture. Only 14% of AI governance candidates believed that AI worsened the recruitment process, compared to 65% of data privacy candidates. And 86% of AI governance candidates believed that AI made recruitment more efficient. Strangely, 72% of AI governance candidates had not noticed the use of AI at all.

Candidates’ feelings about the use of AI in recruitment

Perception of AI % data privacy candidates % AI governance candidates
AI worsens recruitment processes 65% 14%
AI improves recruitment processes 18% 14%
I’ve not noticed AI being used in the recruitment process 17% 72%

AI governance candidates did not differ a great deal from data privacy candidates on their use of AI for job applications though.

Candidates’ use of AI for job applications

Response % data privacy candidates % AI governance candidates
No 53% 57%
Yes 47% 43%

Equality, diversity and inclusion in data privacy and AI governance

Barclay Simpson recently extended its survey in the area of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in order to track changes in this critical dimension of recruitment.

In 2025, we saw no improvement in the area of gender diversity in data privacy jobs, and AI governance – a potentially promising new area for EDI – was already male-dominated.

Gender of data privacy candidates

2026 (% of candidates)

2025 (% of candidates)

Gender of AI governance candidates

% of candidates

Employers surveyed believed that EDI had a positive impact on AI governance and data privacy recruitment and retention, with 39% believing that it was very important.

However, they were not oblivious to the challenges involved in creating a diverse and inclusive culture, particularly where skills shortages already acted as a considerable constraint on recruitment. Our survey revealed, for the second year, that increasing representation among the leadership and board was the biggest challenge for employers of data privacy and AI governance professionals.

The biggest challenges in creating a diverse and inclusive culture

Challenge % of data privacy and AI governance employers
Increase representation among leadership/board 40%
Fear of getting things wrong 29%
Achieving pay equity 11%
Setting and tracking key performance indicators 5%
Building a fair hiring process 5%
Lack of access to EDI skilled HR resource 5%
Motivating stakeholders 5%

Employers’ commitment to EDI did not go unnoticed. In our survey, 94% of data privacy and AI governance candidates agreed that their employer demonstrated a strong commitment.

Candidate perceptions of employers’ commitment to EDI

Response % of data privacy and AI governance candidates
Strongly agree 28%
Agree 47%
Neutral 19%
Disagree 5%
Strongly disagree 1%

Only 13% of data privacy and AI governance candidates believed that their respective employer’s commitment to EDI made no real difference.

Impact of organisational commitment to EDI

Response % of data privacy and AI governance candidates
Strongly agree 16%
Agree 33%
Neutral 38%
Disagree 9%
Strongly disagree 4%

In terms of their own beliefs, however, 81% of data privacy and AI governance candidates considered EDI to be very or somewhat important.

Personal importance of EDI to candidates

How important is EDI to you personally?
% data privacy and AI governance candidates

Salary and bonus trends in data privacy and AI governance

The growth of AI governance in 2025 contrasted with the broader data privacy job market, in which the salary plateau, which began in 2023, continued.

In parallel with the emergence of dedicated AI risk management and governance roles, data privacy professionals often received a salary boost when AI was added to their remit.

“With no headline regulatory or legislative change such as GDPR to stimulate demand, data privacy work ran on a ‘business as usual’ basis,” says Sophie.

“With no headline regulatory or legislative change such as GDPR to stimulate demand, data privacy work ran on a ‘business as usual’ basis.”

But while many employers made restrained salary offers, others found enough budget for new data privacy roles, often following a high-profile data breach.

Despite the salary plateau, all employers surveyed this year planned a base salary increase, with 6% foreseeing rises of 5–10% for their data privacy and AI governance employees.

Planned increases in base salaries

Planned base salary increases for existing employees in the next 12 months
% data privacy and AI governance employers

AI governance bonuses outpace data privacy

Planned bonuses reflected much the same picture as salary increases, with 44% of employers surveyed planning to give the same or higher bonuses in 2026, compared to 2025. Overall, though, AI governance professionals received slightly higher bonuses than their data privacy counterparts.

Most recent bonuses as a percentage of salary

Bonus as % of salary % data privacy candidates % AI governance candidates
0% 21% 0%
1–10% 25% 14%
11–20% 33% 43%
21–30% 14% 14%
31–40% 4% 29%
Prefer not to say 3% 0%

Remote working remains top-ranking benefit

By some distance, remote working remained the most valued employment benefit for data privacy and AI governance professionals. In our survey, 57% of candidates ranked it as their most important benefit. And 80% ranked it as one of their top three benefits.

The most valued employment benefits

Benefit % candidates ranking it as most valued
Remote working 57%
Flexible working 16%
Annual bonus 13%
Company share options/Sharesave scheme 8%
Private healthcare 6%

Amid increasing discussion of a ‘return to the office’, an overwhelming 94% of the data privacy and AI governance employers surveyed said that their current hybrid/remote working models were likely to remain a long-term feature. Only 6% thought they were under threat.

In our survey, 69% of data privacy and AI governance professionals were working remotely for at least three days a week, and 23% were fully remote.

Number of days per week of remote working

Remote working pattern % data privacy and AI governance candidates
5 days – fully remote 23%
4 days 23%
3 days 23%
2 days 20%
1 day 7%
0 days (full time in office) 4%

When asked how much remote working they would like, 87% said between three and five days per week, indicating a moderate gap between aspiration and reality. Data privacy and AI governance professionals stood firm on their remote working arrangements, with 65% saying they were likely to consider changing jobs if they did not get the remote/office working pattern they wanted. For AI governance candidates alone, the figure was slightly higher – 71% would consider changing jobs.

Misaligned expectations of employers and candidates

Employers felt that candidates’ salary expectations aligned closely with their organisational budgets. Only 6% of employers in our survey felt that candidate expectations were out of line with what they were able to offer.

However, the reality among data privacy professionals was that 25% cited ‘low advertised salaries or day rates’ as their biggest challenge to securing a new role.

Alignment of salary expectations with company budgets

How aligned are candidates’ salary expectations with your company’s budget?
(% employers)

Remuneration remained a highly significant driver of job changes. In our survey, 30% of data privacy and AI governance professionals ranked salary as their top reason for moving. And 74% ranked it in their top three.

Interestingly, candidates ranked career development almost as highly as remuneration as a reason to change jobs.

“Candidates are looking for career development and the opportunity to specialise.”

“Candidates are looking for career development and the opportunity to specialise,” says Matt Smyth, Principal Consultant at Barclay Simpson. “They might want to focus on AI governance in a business offering interesting development projects. Or move to a smaller organisation where they can make a real difference.”

What is your main priority when considering a new role?

Priority % candidates
Remuneration 30%
Career development 29%
Job security 16%
Work/life balance 13%
Remote working 12%
Better benefits 0%

Data privacy and AI governance salaries

The following tables provide an overview of current salary benchmarks for key data privacy and AI governance roles. Figures reflect average base salaries and day rates for professionals across the UK, as well as those working remotely.

Data privacy salaries

Area Central London UK-Wide Fully Remote Contract Day Rate
Analyst £50k—£65k £45k—£65k £45k—£65k £400—£500
Senior Analyst £65k—£80k £55k—£75k £55k—£75k £450—£500
Manager £80k—£120k £60k—£85k £60k—£85k £450—£550
Lead £90k—£130k £75k—£100k £75k—£100k £500—£750
Privacy Counsel £100k—£150k £85k—£120k £85k—£120k £700—£900
Group / Global Head of £100k—£150k £90k—£140k £90k—£140k £900—£1,200
Chief Privacy Officer / Director £150k—£250k £120k—£160k £120k—£160k £1,000—£1,500

AI governance salaries

Area Central London UK-Wide Fully Remote Contract Day Rate
Analyst £60k—£70k £55k—£65k £55k—£65k £450—£500
Senior Analyst £70k—£100k £60k—£90k £60k—£90k £450—£500
Manager £100k—£130k £90k—£120k £90k—£120k £450—£550
Lead / Head of £130k—£150k £125k—£145k £125k—£145k £500—£750
AI Counsel £100k—£150k £75k—£120k £75k—£120k £700—£900
Group / Global Head of £120k—£160k £110k—£150k £110k—£150k £900—£1,200
Director £150k—£250k £150k—£250k £140k—£200k £1,000—£1,500

Attract and retain the data privacy and AI governance professionals you need with Barclay Simpson.

Barclay Simpson has specialised in the recruitment of cyber security and data privacy professionals since 2001. Our practice covers AI governance, data protection and data privacy. Our long-established team has extensive experience recruiting on a permanent and interim basis for tech scale-ups, digital enterprises and established corporates undergoing transformation.

We can help you create a talent attraction strategy with competitive salary offerings and support you as you build an AI governance or data privacy team that’s future proof. Or we can help you find a role that aligns with your long-term career goals.

If you are interested in a new data privacy or AI governance position or would like to discuss our recruitment services, get in touch today.

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