Protective Service · Holland code CRE
Transportation Security Screeners
Conduct screening of passengers, baggage, or cargo to ensure compliance with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. May operate basic security equipment such as x-ray machines and hand wands at screening checkpoints.
Also called: Security Screener, Transportation Security Officer (TSO).
O*NET 33-9093.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $66,770
- Middle half earn $57,050 to $72,820. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 85% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
- Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
- View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
- Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.
- Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
- Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
- Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
- Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Speaking3.4 / 5
- Monitoring3.4 / 5
- Active Listening3.3 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.3 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
- Writing2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security3.8 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
- English Language3.6 / 5
- Law and Government2.7 / 5
- Education and Training2.7 / 5
- Administration and Management2.4 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic70
- Investigative17
- Artistic0
- Social24
- Enterprising27
- Conventional75
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- hand luggage inspector · DE Handgepäckkontrolleur/Handgepäckkontrolleurin · FR agent de sûreté aéroportuaire, mention «passagers»/agente de sûreté aéroportuaire, mention «passagers»
- escort · DE Escort · FR escort boy/escort girl
- security guard · DE Fachkraft Schutz- und Sicherheit · FR agent de sécurité/agente de sécurité
- airport security officer · DE Fachkraft Schutz- und Sicherheit – Flughafen · FR agent de sûreté aéroportuaire/agente de sûreté aéroportuaire
- armoured car guard · DE Fachkraft Werttransportschutz- und -sicherheit · FR convoyeur de fonds/convoyeuse de fonds
- bodyguard · DE Personenschützer/Personenschützerin · FR garde du corps
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Police community support officers (6311)11,800 employed
- Security guards and related occupations (9231)158,600 employed
- Protective service associate professionals n.e.c. (3319)98,800 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €32,957 |
| Sweden | €32,596 |
| Netherlands | €29,198 |
| Austria | €29,068 |
| Germany | €27,471 |
| Ireland | €26,978 |
| Italy | €24,995 |
| France | €24,971 |
| Spain | €18,303 |
| Portugal | €10,656 |
| Poland | €7,579 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.51. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (33-9093).
Related careers
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