Across all facets of the security industry, there is a need for more skilled workers, and with the convergence of cybersecurity and physical security comes an additional demand for more technical talent as well. As the results of the Security Industry Association (SIA) 2021 membership survey and 2022 Megatrends research show, workforce development is a top concern for security professionals, and many of the executives and leaders speaking at the 2021 Securing New Ground (SNG) conference echoed that, in addition to issues like supply chain hiccups and overall concerns about cybersecurity, hiring and retaining qualified talent is the foremost challenge facing the industry.

As Allegion President for the Americas Luis Orbegoso said during the 2021 SNG conference, “There’s a huge labor gap right now that we’re experiencing and we just can’t get people in fast enough.” At the same event, Allied Universal Global Chairman and CEO Steve Jones said that today’s workforce challenges have created the most “dysfunctional” labor market that he has ever seen. This challenge can directly impact our industry’s ability to grow, and 37 percent of 2021 SNG poll respondents said that worker shortages would be the factor most likely to impact their business’ ability to grow in 2022.

We know that these workforce challenges aren’t just limited to a single employee role. Our integrator members say they are facing shortages of technicians to install the products; shortages of individuals with IT and cybersecurity skills that are necessary for the correct and safe configuration of security systems; and shortages of project managers who can deliver jobs on time and on budget. From our manufacturers, we are hearing not only how it’s challenging to fill production line roles, but also how finding those with technical skills like software and app development has become increasingly competitive. Corporate security teams, which have long drawn from talent pools of law enforcement, military, and investigations, are now challenged to find young talent with extensive technology backgrounds to support the rapid digital transformation of their security programs.

Competition in hiring is expected to remain high, with no signs of slowing down, and with the ever-changing technology landscape, security stakeholders need employees to fill roles in all areas of their organizations. SIA is proud to be a leader in advancing the security industry through fostering the talent pipeline and efforts to diversify the security workforce. Here are some key efforts we are undertaking to advance the future of the security industry.

• In 2020, SIA joined forces with the Electronic Security Association to launch the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization designed to promote careers in the physical security technology and life safety industry. FAST connects passionate, innovative professionals with new opportunities in electronic security and life safety. The FAST website offers job seekers information about the security industry’s growth and unique position at the convergence of cutting-edge technology and a mission that matters, the types of roles available in the industry and what employers are looking for and a jobs board featuring immediate opportunities in security technology and life safety.

• SIA’s RISE community for young security talent and those new to the industry helps foster young professionals’ careers through its RISE Scholarship program, the Talent Inclusion Mentorship Education (TIME) program for early and mid-career professionals, fun in-person and virtual networking events, career growth webinars and trade show education offerings, and the annual AcceleRISE conference — an essential experience designed to ignite new thinking, strengthen leadership and sharpen business acumen in young security talent.

• SIA is committed to leading the security industry toward gender parity and bringing more women to the field. The SIA Women in Security Forum is a community open to all SIA members that offers programs, thought leadership and career development opportunities, charitable giving and volunteer initiatives, awards and networking, and professional growth events with the goal of supporting the participation of women in the security industry. The SIA Women in Security Forum has hundreds of members and is continuing to grow and engage more women in the industry.

• SIA’s Security Industry Careers Guide shares insights on common employment roles at security systems integrators and security solutions manufacturers. The guide highlights types of roles in engineering, finance, human resources, IT, operations, sales and marketing, product management, and support.
• The SIA Employer’s Complete Guide to Hiring is a 12-step guide to hiring talented employees that fit the company culture, match organizational needs, and help drive businesses to excellence. SIA incorporated more depth and tools into the hiring guide by developing a follow-up supplementary resource that shares job description templates for common roles in the security industry.

These and other initiatives will help SIA continue to lead the way in bringing in a new generation of professionals and expanding on the diversity and inclusiveness of the security industry.

In future columns for SDM, we will further explore some of the trends, challenges, and solutions. We’ll bring different voices to play in this SIA column series, and we hope to even present a few solutions that can ease the challenge of attracting, developing, and retaining the workforce of the future. Follow along as we address this critical industry challenge! //