Security Guards

AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
54%
risk level
POLLING
57%
Based on 410 votes
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
3.4%
by year 2032
WAGES
$34,750
or $16.71 per hour
Volume
1,124,890
as of 2022
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
3.4/10

Want this summary on your site? Embed code:

Automation risk

54% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): Occupations with a moderate risk of automation usually involve routine tasks but still require some human judgment and interaction.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Assisting and Caring for Others

  • Social Perceptiveness

User poll

57% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 54% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Security Guards will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?






Sentiment

The following graph(s) are included wherever there is a substantial amount of votes to render meaningful data. These visual representations display user poll results over time, providing a significant indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Security Guards' job openings is expected to rise 3.4% by 2032

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031
Updated projections are due 09-2023.

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2022, the median annual wage for 'Security Guards' was $34,750, or $16 per hour

'Security Guards' were paid 25.0% lower than the national median wage, which stood at $46,310

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2022 there were 1,124,890 people employed as 'Security Guards' within the United States.

This represents around 0.8% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 131 people are employed as 'Security Guards'.

Job description

Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules. May operate x-ray and metal detector equipment.

SOC Code: 33-9032.00

Resources

If you're thinking of starting a new career, or looking to change jobs, we've created a handy job search tool which might just help you land that perfect new role.

Search jobs in your local area

Comments

Leave a comment

Nico Cione (Highly likely) says
I really want a cool-looking robocop everywhere.
Feb 15, 2024 at 10:54 PM
09 (Low) says
Sure Robots and technology plays a big role nowadays in security but the prevention is still a thing hard for robots to be replaced by.
Oct 23, 2023 at 09:09 PM
W Jones (No chance) says
6 Years as security supervisor for high capacity venues - There is no chance within the next 20 years automation will replace human stewards or security, they simply will not handle the physical and social demands.

Even in static position roles I.E. Manned security boothes/checkpoints, security agents are expected to fulfill multiple roles (First aid, emergency response, deterrant, etc.). In more active roles, this is also compounded by the need for mobility and flexibility of roles; at one moment a person may be directing foot traffic and then asked to re-position and hand out water at the pit barrier or assist in the escort of persons off the premises.

Summary - Security guards won't be replaced any time soon as it would take simply far too many automated systems and be far more expensive only to leave members of the public with an impersonal machine who cannot as easily respond to their needs in the moment.
Apr 09, 2023 at 03:53 PM
Ruben Castellanos says
Empathy , social skills and human touch is required in order to be a good guard. People will see the robots as mechanized garbage bins and proceed to ignore or damage the equipment.
Mar 22, 2023 at 02:56 PM
Don’t think so says
It will be a bad day when Robots are allowed to start going hands on against humans. It will change everything in a bad way.
Feb 18, 2023 at 07:50 PM
Nico (Highly likely) says
I believe it's highly likely because most people don't trust human security guards.
Feb 05, 2023 at 07:18 PM
Mike Scorpio says
High-skill security, such as hospital, diplomatic, and corporate protection, will most likely never be replaced.

However, low-skill security, such as low-paying observe-and-report jobs, will be automated.
Jan 18, 2023 at 08:19 PM
Joe (Low) says
Security guards aren't going anywhere anytime soon. There are comments here saying how they could get an Atlas robot to do it, but they cost a quarter of a million dollars to produce, and that's not including maintenance.

I could see alarm systems and maybe security cameras replacing guards in some businesses, but not in 90% of places. Most robbers or thieves don't want to kill anyone and, for that reason, they will not get rid of security guards.

Human guards create an extra barrier that makes these crimes much more difficult to get away with.
Dec 18, 2022 at 12:42 PM
Joey says
What some people don't recognize is how fast technology is growing especially with AI robots and how fast these robots are learning human capabilities and human ways. true, robots are not all the way capable of performing like humans but in just a few short years, it is over for tons of jobs from blue collar to white collars.
Oct 18, 2022 at 12:48 PM
megacide84 (No chance) says
Unless security bots and drones become fully armed and programmed to "shoot to kill," which won't happen for very obvious reasons (i.e. hacking and swatting), there will always be a need for human security personnel.
Apr 22, 2022 at 09:26 AM
Rei (Low) says
While a robot can sweep the premises and scan the area for any inconsistencies, humans are still needed to make judgments. For example, if there is an armed robbery, the human guard can prioritize either the safety of the workers (other humans) or the safety of the place. Humans also rely on robots for safety, but with hacking being possible from far away to take control, and electrical interference being able to cause robots to short-circuit, humans are still the better option.
Apr 20, 2022 at 01:50 PM
SS (Highly likely) says
It's not even just likely. It's already happening. Look at Knight Scope. Once it becomes affordable to make Boston Dynamics level robots? Game over.

This will probably happen sooner than 20 years. Especially once they get self driving cars scalable and mass adopted.
Jul 02, 2021 at 12:46 AM
D. A. Lambert (Moderate) says
Despite the need for security personnel in some industries, there are ongoing efforts to automate security, especially with the rise of cyber security.
Feb 13, 2021 at 11:13 PM
Shiro says
What about armed security, are people ready for gun toting robots?
Jul 03, 2020 at 07:56 AM
FutureQuick (Highly likely) says
To all these people saying robots can't do the things they say. You should check out the video of Boston Dynamics Atlas robot doing parkour. just 3 years ago this robot could only pull on strings, now it's doing parkour. This robot is funded by DARPA.
Jun 21, 2020 at 04:31 PM
Sean (Moderate) says
We are already seeing security guards being replaced by offsite monitoring in South Africa. This is going to be a major trend in - at least in Southern Africa for the next 10 years.
Jun 06, 2020 at 06:19 PM
Walid says
I think that will be by the year 3000
Apr 30, 2020 at 06:31 AM
Helios (Uncertain) says
Incident response required some physical response so a man is needed. You can’t fully eliminate the need of a guard.
Apr 01, 2020 at 01:09 PM
Happy Limbo says
When it gets dangerous, it will need humans, like in soccer stadiums. They not only keep up order, but influence people into behave themselves.
Feb 26, 2020 at 09:45 PM
G (No chance) says
Totally not robots aren't capable of fighting people or throwing people out of bars or anything like that robots aren't strong and won't be for at least the next 50 years
Jan 22, 2020 at 11:07 AM

Leave a reply about this occupation

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

People also viewed

Computer Programmers
Lawyers
Graphic Designers
Accountants and Auditors
Preschool, Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and Special Education Teachers