Transportation security screeners
SOC Code: 33-9093
Transportation security screeners carries a 38% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $63,360 and -6.0% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 50,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 38% AI exposure, Transportation security screeners sits 1 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 63% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
36/100
Transportation security screeners, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage C $63,360
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -6.0%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 38% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Transportation security screeners in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Transportation security screeners sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Transportation security screeners sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
38% Around the middle lower than 37% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Transportation security screeners vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Transportation security screeners is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Transportation security screeners's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 33-9093) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Transportation security screeners be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Transportation security screeners. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
- 2. Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
- 3. View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems.
- 4. Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.
- 5. Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
- 6. Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
- 7. Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.
- 8. Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.
- 9. Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.
- 10. Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection.
Key Skills Required
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Persuasion
- Service Orientation
Knowledge Areas
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
- Psychology
- Foreign Language
- Computers and Electronics
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Transportation security screeners?
Transportation security screeners has an AI exposure score of 38%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Transportation security screeners?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Transportation security screeners is projected to decline by 6.0% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 50,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Transportation security screeners?
Key skills for Transportation security screeners include Speaking, Monitoring, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Transportation security screeners earn?
The median annual wage for Transportation security screeners is $63,360, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Transportation security screeners?
The typical entry-level education for Transportation security screeners is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Transportation security screeners?
Transportation security screeners roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Transportation security screeners: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (38% here).
- Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders · AI exposure 38%
- Coaches and scouts · AI exposure 38%
- Computer and information systems managers · AI exposure 38%
- Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers · AI exposure 38%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-6.0% here).
- Computer programmers · growth -6.0%
- Chemical plant and system operators · growth -6.1%
- Floral designers · growth -5.9%
- Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks · growth -5.8%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 14 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Transportation security screeners' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Transportation security screeners side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).