Online platform launched to tackle labour shortages in private security

Private security plays an essential role in protecting people, assets and infrastructure. Supply chains, public spaces, events and critical entities are prime examples. While the demand has been increasing, the sector has been facing structural labour and skills shortages over the last few years.

The European Social Partners for the sector, the Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) and UNI Europa, have led a two-year project to analyse the drivers of these shortages. They were able to find solutions and present them on their joint platform, www.securityskills.eu.

Private security services used to be, and will be even more so in the future, essential services provided in support of law enforcement, a development which has been confirmed in the context of terrorist attacks in Europe and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The demand for security services has been increasing. Between 2010 and 2019, the European private security industry grew significantly in terms of the number of workers, diversification of services and the upscaling of the technical and professional expertise provided.

However, roughly 48% of security companies currently struggle to respond to the market demand due to labour shortages. This is a strategic challenge to public security and the economy. The ‘INTEL’ project, which is funded by the European Union and led by CoESS and UNI Europa, recognised and studied this challenge thoroughly.

The two year project has delivered the first ever evidence-based data on the extent of labour and skills shortages in the private security industry across Europe.

Principally, the project partners organised multiple workshops, online as well as in Germany, Sweden and Croatia, to discuss solutions to this challenge. The project shall support businesses and workers in addressing labour and skills shortages in a sector of strategic relevance for the functioning of our societies.