After Sept. 11, 2001, companies expanded their definition of security to focus on how to handle another terrorist attack, how to combine physical security with corporate objectives, and whether they should create executive security positions on par with chief financial officers and other top posts.
But that hasn't produced an across-the-board explosion of security jobs, USA Today reports.
Though work in public security, law enforcement, the military, and airports has increased, 9/11 "has not caused a great deal of fervor" in the private sector, says Marc Bradshaw, president of Marcus Group Security Management in New Mexico.
Companies are waiting to see what federal rules they'll have to follow and are taking care to ensure any expense will have a healthy return on investment.
"It's not that companies are ambivalent about this. They're doing their business thing," says Bradshaw, who's also president of the Association of Professional Security Consultants. "They're looking more at crisis management and business continuity planning under the guise of security."
Job growth in this field, rather, depends on professions, geography and economics, experts say.
Companies along the East Coast, hardest hit by the attacks, are more likely to have added security forces and procedures, says Philip Deming, head of Philip S. Deming and Associates, a Pennsylvania-based human resource and security risk management firm.
Security employment in transportation, utility and petrochemical companies has increased, Deming says. "All these types of industries that could be susceptible to any type of terrorist activity have been focused on their security."
