The people and places behind the profession
Who hires security officers? How big is the industry? What happens after you apply? Start with the place you want to work.
Each report brings together dated figures, official employer websites and a practical hiring route. Read it in the relevant local language or English.
Security work spans contracted guarding and teams employed directly by organisations. A national search is useful for comparing employers; the actual opportunity is local, with a specific site, shift pattern and state requirements. The employers below are examples with official recruitment routes. Their order does not represent a ranking.
Canadian security recruitment is organised around provinces, cities and individual worksites. Opportunities include guarding, healthcare, mobile patrol and airport screening. English and French requirements depend on the role and location. The statistical category below is broader than guarding alone, so its workplace totals describe context rather than a national guard-company count.
Search for Sicherheitsmitarbeiter or Sicherheitsmitarbeiterin, then choose the assignment: a reception desk, industrial site, patrol or control room. Employers specify the qualification for each job. The IHK Unterrichtung and Sachkundeprüfung under §34a are different routes, and particular duties require the examination. National sector statistics also need care: establishment, employee and association-member counts describe different populations.
The usual job titles are agent de sécurité and agent de prévention et de sécurité. France has a CNAPS authorisation process for entering training and a professional-card process for working in private security. Employers also advertise specialist roles such as mobile security and fire safety, each with its own requirements. The verified company figures below describe 2022 and provide a historical view of the sector.
Beveiliger is the core search term, with objectbeveiliger for site security and mobiele surveillance for patrol work. Some employers advertise a job alongside an opleiding tot beveiliger. The employer requests police permission for its security personnel. The latest reviewed industry survey covers 2025 and separates employees from external personnel.
Vigilante de seguridad is the regulated occupation to search for. Job adverts commonly ask for a current Tarjeta de Identidad Profesional, or TIP. Service-assistant roles and specialist security roles have their own duties and entry conditions. APROSER’s 2025 industry figures cover the broader private-security sector, including guarding, security systems and cash services.
Italian adverts distinguish addetto alla sicurezza roles from guardia particolare giurata, often shortened to GPG. For GPG work, the Prefettura approves the appointment through an employer-led process. Read each vacancy carefully: some seek candidates with existing authorisations, while others invite aspiranti guardie giurate. National company counts need a clear boundary between licensed guarding and other security services.
Use vagt as your starting search term, then look at patruljevagt, servicevagt or work in a kontrolcentral. Employers publish role-specific training and driving requirements. Private-security personnel go through police approval organised by the employer. Airport security is a separate hiring route with its own screening and training, illustrated here by Copenhagen Airports.
Väktare is the main term for private guarding, including stationary and mobile patrol work. Ordningsvakt and skyddsvakt are distinct roles with additional requirements. Employers can advertise training entry routes; the standard guard training sequence includes VU1, practical workplace training and VU2. County administrative boards approve personnel for authorised security companies.
Singapore’s employers advertise Security Officer and Senior Security Officer roles across commercial sites, transport and public-facing locations. Recruitment includes online applications and employer-run interviews. Start with the duty location and job grade, then compare the schedule and pay terms. The employer examples below show different recruitment routes and are unranked.
Reports currently cover these 10 countries. Additional country reports will be published as their sources are checked. Employer examples are unranked. Research checked 18 September 2026.
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