Half of Canadian firms struggle to hire security staff with AI skills, Fortinet says

Nearly half of Canadian organizations say they struggle to hire cybersecurity workers with AI-specific experience, according to Canadian results from Fortinet's 2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, released in mid-May alongside the company's annual threat report.

The figures tie the hiring problem directly to risk. Canadian IT leaders named a lack of security skills as a top cause of breaches, and 82 per cent of Canadian organizations said they had experienced at least one breach in the past year, according to coverage by MobileSyrup and Techcouver.

The Canadian numbers

• 49 per cent of Canadian organizations struggle to hire cybersecurity talent with AI-specific experience.
• 53 per cent said senior-level security skills are what they need most.
• 40 per cent struggle to get approval to add security staff.
• 58 per cent are building internal training or reskilling programs to support AI adoption, and nearly half expect to invest in AI-related security training or certifications in the next 12 months.
• 91 per cent are using or experimenting with AI-powered security tools, and 85 per cent said those tools help their teams work more efficiently.

Among organizations that were breached, about 19 per cent said an incident cost between US$1 million and US$2 million, Techcouver reported.

Global context

The global survey covered more than 2,750 IT and security decision-makers in 32 countries. Fortinet says the shortage of security skills remains a leading cause of damaging breaches and recommends a mix of awareness and education, wider access to training and certification, and security technology.

The companion threat report ranked Canada second in the world for cyberattacks, behind the United States, and counted 374 Canadian organizations extorted by ransomware groups in 2025. Fortinet chief information security officer Carl Windsor said cybersecurity "is not simply a technical issue but a strategic business risk."

What it means for job seekers

The data points in two directions. Employers say they want senior people and AI experience, which favours mid-career professionals who can show work with AI tools. At the same time, a majority say they are building internal reskilling programs, which suggests some will train existing staff rather than hire. Approval to add headcount remains a hurdle for 40 per cent.

What we don't know yet

Fortinet has not published the size of the Canadian sample in the coverage reviewed, and vendor surveys reflect the respondents who chose to answer. The figures are best read as a direction of travel rather than a census of the Canadian market.