Security Guard
Security guards protect people, property and premises by watching for anything out of place and stepping in, or calling for backup, when something goes wrong.
- Median salary
- $94,500
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 66,800
0.8%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +10.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 45/wk
+5h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Security guards work shifts at retail centres, construction sites, events, offices, hospitals and warehouses, usually employed by a contracted security firm rather than the business they are protecting. The work runs on deterrence and observation rather than police powers, so a guard can ask someone to leave or detain them briefly, but arrests and prosecutions are left to police. Most shifts are built around a fixed post or a patrol route, while experienced guards move into mobile patrols, event security, control rooms or loss prevention.
How much do security guards earn?
The median full-time salary for a security guard is $94,500 per annum, before tax, up $19,600 since 2018.
Most guards are paid under the Security Services Industry Award or a site-specific enterprise agreement, so pay depends on the classification and the contract your employer holds. Night, weekend and public holiday penalties make a bigger difference to take-home pay than the base rate does. In-house roles at hospitals, councils and government buildings generally pay above the contract market, and endorsements such as crowd control or monitoring can move you into a higher classification.
What does a security guard do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Patrolling a fixed site on foot or by vehicle, checking doors, fences and stock for signs of tampering
- Watching CCTV and access control monitors from a guard post or control room for anything out of place
- Checking identification and screening bags at entry points during events or building access checks
- Calming an aggressive or intoxicated person before a situation escalates, and radioing for backup or police when it does not settle
- Writing incident reports detailed enough to hold up if police or an insurer later ask what happened
What skills do security guards need?
Employers look for emergency response, backed by CCTV monitoring systems fluency and strong safety and compliance awareness.
Specialist skills
- Emergency response
Software and tools
- CCTV monitoring systems
- Access control systems
- Two-way radios
- Incident reporting software
- Metal detectors
General skills
- Safety and compliance awareness
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Customer service
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Empathy and interpersonal care
Is the job growing?
About 66,800 people work as security guards in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 10.6% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a security guard?
Here's the path most security guards take, step by step.
- 1Check your state or territory's licensing rules
Security licensing is handled by state and territory regulators, and requirements for age, criminal history and residency differ between them. Knowing what your jurisdiction asks for before you enrol saves repeating a course or a police check.
- 2Complete a Certificate II in Security Operations
This is the qualification most licences require, usually delivered as a short course over a week or two full time. It covers the legal limits of a guard's powers, communication and basic crowd control, and most providers bundle the first aid certificate you also need.
- 3Apply for your security licence
The application involves a national police check, fingerprints and identification documents, and processing takes a few weeks. Some states issue a separate crowd controller endorsement, which you need before working at licensed venues or events.
- 4Start with a contract security firm
Most entry-level jobs sit with firms holding contracts at shopping centres, construction sites and events, so you move between posts rather than settling on one. This is where new guards build the site experience that better-paying roles ask for.
- 5Add endorsements or move in-house
Monitoring, crowd control and loss prevention endorsements widen the work you can take on, and hospital, council and government sites hire guards directly. In-house roles tend to come with steadier rosters and above-award pay.
Ready to apply as a security guard?
Whether you're working toward becoming a security guard or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a security guard move to?
Moving into Security Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $18,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Manager Site experience, risk awareness and team supervision carry into managing security operations, with additional management training. | +$18,900 | 4% | reskill |
| Corrections Officer Security guards bring incident reporting, de-escalation and shift discipline to custodial work, with further training in corrections.Known move | +$13,700 | 57% | reskill |
| Truck Driver Security guards bring vigilance, shift reliability and patrol awareness to truck driving, with truck licensing required.Known move | +$7,400 | 24% | reskill |
| Security Consultant Threat assessment and site knowledge suit advisory work, though consulting skills and further study are needed. | −$8,700 | 20% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a security guard?
The typical security guard is 39 years old; 83% are men, 78% work full-time, and full-timers average 45 hours a week.
- 39
- Median age
- 17%
- Female share
- 78%
- Full-time
- +5h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a security guard?
The work runs on rosters, so a typical week is a few long shifts rather than five short days, with nights, weekends and public holidays shared across the team. Posts vary more than the job title suggests: a shopping centre guard deals with shoplifters and lost children, while a construction site guard logs deliveries and protects plant overnight. The people who stay with it tend to be comfortable working alone, steady in a confrontation, and able to stay alert through long quiet stretches.
What people like
- Whole days off between shifts. Long shifts are common, which compresses the working week and leaves full days free for study, family or a second interest that a standard Monday to Friday job would not allow.
- The shift ends at handover. Once you brief the next guard and finish your log, the work stays at the site. There is no client work to take home and no deadline following you into the weekend.
- A wide range of sites. Guards move between retail centres, construction sites, hospitals, events and government buildings, so the backdrop and the people change far more often than the title suggests.
- Extra training opens better-paid work. Crowd control, monitoring and loss prevention endorsements move you into different classifications and more interesting posts, and they build on the licence you already hold.
What people find hard
- Hours on your feet. A patrol shift means walking the site repeatedly, and even a static post involves standing for long stretches. Comfortable boots and a decent roster matter more than most people expect.
- Nights, weekends and holidays. Sites need coverage around the clock, so rosters include late nights, public holidays and Christmas. Penalty rates compensate for the hours, but the social cost is real.
- Verbal abuse is a regular risk. Refusing entry, asking someone to leave or breaking up a dispute often draws anger, and intoxicated patrons at venues or events escalate quickly. Employers have a duty to manage that risk, but you meet it regularly.
- Long quiet stretches test your attention. An empty building at three in the morning is far harder to stay sharp through than a busy gate, and a guard who misses something on a quiet shift is still accountable for it.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ security guards?
Public Administration and Safety employs the largest share of security guards, followed by Transport, Postal and Warehousing.
Top employing industries
- 1Public Administration and Safety
- 2Transport, Postal and Warehousing
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 35.8% | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate III/IV | 23.6% | |
| Bachelor degree | 13.5% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 12.4% | |
| Postgraduate | 7.5% |
Will AI replace security guards?
AI reaches this job in the monitoring and paperwork, not in the standing at the gate. Video analytics, number plate recognition and automated access control now watch feeds continuously and flag what looks unusual, and reporting software drafts a first version of an incident log from a few details. That changes how a guard spends a shift, with less time staring at a monitor wall and more time responding to what the system raises, but the physical presence, the calm conversation with an angry person and the call on whether to detain someone still sit with the guard.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Patrolling and checking the siteWalking the fence line, testing doors and checking seals is the part no camera or sensor covers, and it is also where guards notice the small things a system never flags.35%low
- Watching CCTV and alarm feedsAnalytics now sorts ordinary movement from unusual movement on a screen wall, so the guard's job has shifted towards verifying alerts and deciding what to do about them.25%high
- Screening people at entry pointsID scanners and access systems verify a pass quickly, but reading whether a person is nervous, intoxicated or carrying something they shouldn't still happens in person.20%moderate
- Writing incident reports and shift logsSoftware can assemble the times, camera references and basic account of what happened, and the guard supplies the detail and signs off on what goes to police or an insurer.20%moderate
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from security guard work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Corrections Officer
Solid skill overlap (57%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a security guard
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do security guards earn?
Full-time security guards earn a median of $94,500 per year before tax, and the figure is a median rather than a guarantee because rosters and sites vary so much. Night, weekend and public holiday penalties make up a large share of many guards' earnings. The award classification, your employer's enterprise agreement and whether the role is in-house or with a contract firm all shift the number.
How do I become a security guard?
You need a security licence from the state or territory where you work, and the usual route is a Certificate II in Security Operations (CPP20218) followed by a police check and a licence application. Some states require a separate endorsement for crowd control or monitoring work. No degree is required, and the course can be completed in a few weeks.
Are security guards in demand?
Security guards are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 10.6% over the decade to 2035. Openings appear steadily across contract firms, retail centres, construction sites, events and government buildings, so work is usually available without relocating. The award sets pay floors for most of those roles.
Will AI replace security guards?
AI reaches parts of this job but not the whole of it. Video analytics, number plate recognition and automated access control now handle some of the watching, and reporting software can draft the first version of an incident report, which shifts a guard's time towards checking what the system flags and responding in person. The physical presence, the de-escalation and the decision to detain someone still need a person on site.
What can a security guard move into?
Corrections officer is a common move, paying $13,700 more and building on the same incident reporting and de-escalation skills, with further training in custodial work. Moving into security management pays $18,900 more but usually needs management experience and study. Some experienced guards instead take out their own security business licence and subcontract to venues, which is often where earnings grow.
What hours do security guards work?
Full-time security guards average 45 hours a week, usually across a rotating roster of day, night and weekend shifts. Shift lengths vary by site, with static posts often covered by a single long shift and event work short and irregular. Penalty rates mean the roster affects your pay as much as the base rate does.
Related roles
- Corrections Officer
- Security Manager
- Truck Driver
- Security Consultant
- Crowd Controller
- Defence Force Member
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.