Security Guard
Key facts
Security guards observe, detect irregularities and protect people, buildings and assets. They maintain security at all times by patrolling designated property areas, controlling access at entrances, watching alarm and video recording systems, asking suspicious individuals for identification and reporting infractions and law breaching activities.
As a security guard, you are the first line of defense, ensuring the safety and security of buildings, assets, and individuals. Your day might involve patrolling designated areas, monitoring surveillance equipment, controlling access points, and responding to incidents. You'll need to be observant, proactive, and able to remain calm under pressure. This role requires a strong sense of responsibility and excellent communication skills.
- • Patrolling premises regularly to monitor for suspicious activity.
- • Controlling access to buildings and areas by verifying identification and authorisations.
- • Operating surveillance equipment, including CCTV and alarm systems.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Protective services workers — 28 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Netherlands and 3 more.
Longest-running shortage: Italy, 4 years.
Where it is regulated, your qualification would need formal recognition before you could practise.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $38,020 2025-05 | +0.4% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | −34.7% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £30,819 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
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Future Outlook for security guard
The outlook for security guard is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 86%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could security guard change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- restrain individuals
- perform body searches
- ensure public safety and security
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- identify terrorism threats
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Public Service & Safety
A typical day as a security guard
09 09:00 · Morning check tickets at venue entry
10 10:30 · Mid-morning check official documents
12 12:00 · Midday ensure public safety and security
14 14:00 · Afternoon execute inspection walkway
15 15:30 · Late afternoon maintain facility security systems
17 17:00 · Wrap-up comply with the principles of self-defence
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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restrain individuals
Restrain, or control by force, individuals who violate regulations in terms of acceptable behaviour, who present a threat to others, and who perform acts of violence, to ensure the individual is unable to proceed in this negative behaviour and to protect others.
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perform body searches
Examine visitors by performing a body search, in order to detect weapons or illegal substances.
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identify security threats
Identify security threats during investigations, inspections, or patrols, and perform the necessary actions to minimise or neutralise the threat.
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detain offenders
Keep back offenders and trespassers in a certain area.
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patrol areas
Patrol a designated area, watch out for and respond to suspicious and dangerous situations, and communicating with emergency response organisations.
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execute inspection walkway
Carry out a route in order to verify if all the doors and windows are closed.
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deal with aggressive behaviour
Respond promptly to adverse behaviour in a professional manner by taking appropriate and legal action to prevent further aggressiveness, such as verbal warning, lawful removal from the premises or apprehension of the person involved. Report details of adverse behaviour in line with the organisation’s procedures.
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practice vigilance
Practice vigilance during patrol or other surveillance activities in order to ensure safety and security, to look out for suspicious behaviour or other alarming changes in patterns or activities, and to respond quickly to these changes.
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check official documents
Check an individuals' official documentation, such as driver's licenses and identification, to ensure compliance with legal regulations, and to identify and assess individuals.
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check tickets at venue entry
Ensure that all guests have valid tickets for the specific venue or show and report on irregularities.
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perform security checks
Monitor and check individuals' bags or personal items in order to make sure the individuals present no threats and that their behaviour is legally compliant.
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comply with the principles of self-defence
Observe the principles according to which a person should only use so much force as is required to repel an attack. The use of deadly force is limited to situations where attackers are using deadly force themselves.
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maintain facility security systems
Ensure that proper and functional security systems are in place, including alarm systems, fire alarms, sprinklers and emergency exits.
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ensure public safety and security
Implement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.
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monitor surveillance equipment
Monitor the operation of equipment used in surveillance and gathering of intelligence to ensure it functions properly and to gather the surveillance information detected by it.
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stay alert
Stay focused and alert at all times; react quickly in the case of unexpected events. Concentrate and do not get distracted performing a task over a long period of time.
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identify terrorism threats
Identify the possibility of terrorism activities posing threats and danger in a specific area by monitoring activities of potentially dangerous groups of people, assessing risks in different areas, and gathering intelligence.
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liaise with security authorities
Respond quickly to security incidents and violations by calling the police and keep in touch with other relevant parties involved in the potential prosecution of the offender.
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ensure law application
Ensure the laws are followed, and where they are broken, that the correct measures are taken to ensure compliance to the law and law enforcement.
explosives
Behaviour of explosives, pyrotechnics and blasting techniques. Associated risks and legal requirements.
legal requirements related to ammunition
Legal regulations and requirements in the field of selling, buying, handling and storing ammunition.
security in commercial buildings
Security procedures, characteristics, tasks and risks in commercial areas and institutions such as banks, malls, tourist spots, hotels and restaurants.
security in industrial buildings
Security procedures, characteristics, tasks and risks encountered in industrial areas such as factories, ports, warehouses and mines.
- security threats
- check methods
- criminal law
- fire safety regulations
- illegal substances
- legal use-of-force
- surveillance methods
Path to become a security guard
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
Regulated in 23 countries on record. Minimum EQF 3–4, depending on the country.
Reflects the EU regulated-professions database. Not legal advice — confirm requirements with the relevant national authority before relying on this for a career or immigration decision.
971 programmes in 25 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 301 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Tampereen yliopisto · Finland
Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu · Finland
Certificate II in Security Operations
Asset Training Australia Pty Ltd · Australia
Security Science and Technology
Arkansas State University-Newport · the United States
Door Security Skills
Cork Education and Training Board · Ireland
These are 6 of 1,272.
Sources
- 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 2. Source: Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Education), CRICOS, data.gov.au, CC BY 2.5 AU. Data as at 01/09/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 3. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov), CC BY. Data as at 10/06/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 4. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does security guard fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What skills are important for a security guard?
Are there specific physical requirements for this role?
What is the typical work arrangement for a security guard?
How much does Security Guard pay in the United States?
Is Security Guard a regulated profession?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data