First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.6). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Investigate disturbances on the premises, such as security alarms, altercations, and suspicious activity. · importance 4.8
• Patrol the premises to prevent or detect intrusion, protect property, or preserve order. · importance 4.7
• Monitor and authorize entry of employees, visitors, or other persons. · importance 4.7
• Secure entrances and exits by locking doors and gates. · importance 4.6
• Write reports documenting observations made while on patrol. · importance 4.6
• Monitor the behavior of security employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, or procedures. · importance 4.6
• Advise employees in handling problems or resolving complaints from customers, tenants, detainees, or other persons. · importance 4.5
• Assign security personnel to posts or patrols. · importance 4.5
• Recruit, interview, and hire security personnel. · importance 4.5
• Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency, such as fire, bomb threats, and presence of unauthorized persons. · importance 4.4
• Apprehend or evict trespassers, rule violators, or other security threats from the premises. · importance 4.4
• Monitor closed-circuit television cameras. · importance 4.4
• Screen individuals and belongings to prevent passage of prohibited materials using walkthrough detectors, wands, or bag searches. · importance 4.4
• Inspect and adjust security equipment to ensure it is operational or to detect evidence of tampering. · importance 4.4
• Train security personnel on protective procedures, first aid, fire safety, and other duties. · importance 4.4
• Write and present department budgets to upper management or other stakeholders. · importance 4.4
• Explain company policies and procedures to staff using oral or written communication. · importance 4.3
• Order materials or supplies, such as keys, uniforms, and badges. · importance 4.3
• Develop and document security procedures, policies, or standards. · importance 4.3
• Schedule training or drills for emergencies, such as fires, bombs, and other threats. · importance 4.3
• Log items distributed to persons, such as keys and key cards. · importance 4.0

Work activities

• Communicate with management or other staff to resolve problems.
• Maintain security.
• Apprehend criminal suspects.
• Assign duties or work schedules to employees.
• Manage human resources activities.
• Request emergency personnel.
• Develop organizational methods or procedures.
• Document operational procedures.
• Document operational activities.
• Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
• Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
• Operate surveillance equipment to detect suspicious or illegal activities.
• Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.
• Monitor alarm systems.
• Record operational or production data.
• Maintain operational records.
• Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
• Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas.
• Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
• Monitor operations to ensure compliance with safety or security policies or regulations.
• Supervise employees.
• Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
• Patrol properties to maintain safety.
• Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with security or safety regulations.
• Conduct eligibility or selection interviews.
• Hire personnel.
• Recruit personnel.
• Schedule instructional activities.
• Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.
• Block physical access to restricted areas.
• Provide safety training.
• Train personnel to enhance job skills.
• Conduct health or safety training programs.
• Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.
• Report information to managers or other personnel.
• Prepare operational budgets.
• Prepare investigation or incident reports.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Essential skills

Abilities

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• English Language Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Microsoft Access Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Public Service & Safety career cluster.

• Security Managers · 11-3013.01 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers · 43-1011.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants · 53-1044.00 Compare →
• Security Management Specialists · 13-1199.07 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers · 37-1011.00 Compare →
• Security Guards · 33-9032.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers · 33-1011.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers · 49-1011.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators · 53-1043.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers · 41-1012.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services · 39-1014.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand · 53-1042.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-33-1091-00,
  title  = {First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-1091-00}
}