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Can better legislation help solve the security industry's staff shortage?

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Many sectors are currently experiencing a shortage of personnel, including the security industry. According to director Leon Vincken of trade association Vbe NL, the staff shortage in the security sector can even be called 'dramatic'. The current legislation does not cooperate in this, because it does recruiting new security guards difficult for security companies. We therefore believe that better legislation can help solve the staff shortage in the security industry. You can read how that works here. 

How did the staff shortage come about?

Even before the corona crisis, the security industry was struggling with shortages. In January 2020, the UWV reported that the staff shortage in the security industry was increasing at a rapid pace. Even then, more than half of employers in the security sector indicated that they could not find enough staff. Several causes were then identified for this shortage, including:

  • A shortage of qualified security guards: to become a security guard, you must complete the MBO-2 security guard training within one year, even if you have already completed a higher education. 
  • Competition with other security sectorssuch as police and defense.
  • aging of the existing occupational group, as a result of which many employees stopped working in a short period of time. 
  • Changing job requirements for security professions: security guards increasingly have to act as hosts, or have to perform reception duties in addition to their regular duties. For this, security guards must have a service-oriented attitude. Mastering the English language and digital skills are also becoming increasingly important.

This problem has only gotten worse during the corona crisis. During the lockdowns, many sectors in which security guards are active were closed. Consider, for example, the hospitality and event industry. Many security guards have therefore started doing other work. 

What is the problem with the current legislation?

As mentioned, the legislation in this area does not cooperate. The Private Security Organizations and Investigation Agencies Act (WPBR) dates from 1997. This act is now so outdated that normal business operations for security organizations are almost impossible. 

How is that exactly? The two main problems with the current legislation are:

  1. Hiring new security guards takes an unnecessarily long time. This is because security companies have to wait 8 to 12 weeks for permission and proof of identity for new employees. This applies to both permanent and temporary employees. Moreover, this even applies to people who already (years) work or have worked as a security guard and even still have valid permission that runs through the previous employer.
  2. Starting a new security company is too easy right now. Every year, approximately 600 licenses are granted for new security companies, while the market is not growing at the same rate.

How can better legislation solve the staff shortage?

We support the call of the Dutch Security Industry for a renewal of current legislation. This new legislation should make it possible to one pass per security guard which is valid regardless of which company or organization the security guard is deployed for. One must also firmer touch com when granting permits for new security companies, for example by making the Security Quality Mark mandatory.

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