Good news for job-seekers, the TSA has already released information regarding its plans to hire 768 full-time employees. These employees will be screeners allocated to the long lines plugging airport security measures. Currently, airports around the United States are experiencing delays through the incoming high volume of passengers. The long lines are causing major back ups at several airport security checkpoints.
The reason there is a back up, was because the number of TSA screeners have decreased while the number of fliers have increased. According to CNN, back in 2013, the TSA had about 47,000 screeners allocated to clear out 643 million travellers. This year, TSA has 45,525 officers to screen over 740 million passengers.
Now, the agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, is spending around $8 million to hire more officers. They're also looking at part time and overtime workers, with an allocated $26 million.
If you're thinking about working in TSA, the duties of a transporation security officer includes screening, performing searches on passengers and bags, as well as surveillance in terminal entrances and exits.
Keep in mind that the job is not easy. Applicants must have the strong backbone to handle angry passengers. The salary ranges from $25,000 to $30,000 a year, according to the TSA. If you're dead set on applying, job candidates will have to fill out an application, undergo an interview process and pass a background check.
Hydrick Thomas, a TSA employee at New York's JFK Airport and the TSA Council president for the American Federation of Government Employees, says that screeners are there to keep people safe and the responsibility is heavy. "They are there for security reasons," explained Thomas, who has been with the agency for 14 years. "They are behavioral detection officers and are detecting threats before they even get [to the front of the line]. They aren't just standing around. We have a serious job."
If you're keen on working in TSA, you can visit USAJobs.gov for more information.
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