Demand for security jobs in the UK has increased rapidly in the past two years in light of heightened security measures being taken as a result of terror attack threats.  

Consequently, the UK’s private security sector (worth £5bn per year, £265bn globally) looks set to be the next to join the ‘app economy’ when a new service launches this month from tech start-up Broadstone – following in the footsteps of other ‘gig economy’ technology platforms like Uber and Deliveroo.

According to Tom Pickersgill, founder and CEO of UK tech firm Broadstone, “Private security spend in the UK is forecasted to increase by nine per cent over the next five years and the number of jobs in the industry will increase by 10 to12 per cent. Many industry experts are putting this down to increased security requirements and safety measures as a result of terrorist attacks and security threats.

“There are currently 400,000 individuals in the UK working in the sector and it is expected that by 2019, this will be more like 450,000 individuals.”

The sector has traditionally been perceived to be a ‘closed shop’ with many jobseekers finding it difficult to access opportunities due to lengthy paperwork procedures and checks required to access positions. The high levels of security vetting required by employers has created a constant challenge - but according to the founders of Broadstone, this looks set to change their service includes compliant vetting and background checking service for both employees and employers in the security industry. 

Tom continues, “We hope that by providing jobseekers with this new app we’ll be attracting new demographics and audiences to the sector.  The job opportunities are varied and cover a breadth of permanent and flexible roles ranging from event stewards to close protection officers and even security dog handlers. Broadstone matches security companies with those looking for work and jobseekers can access temporary security staffing jobs, as well as permanent jobs through the app. “

“Broadstone will lead the way in security recruitment technology in 2018 and give employers confidence in, and access to, a completely compliant, robustly vetted security workforce.”

“Broadstone’s app will feed directly into a leading global background checking partner firm, allowing us to not only capture accurate data upfront to verify jobseeker details but reduce application lead times from 12 weeks to just 15 days. Checks are consistent; refreshed on a regular basis so that we have a full understanding of a job seeker’s work history, effectively creating an almost instant ‘job passport’ for them. It’s something that has previously been unheard of in the security industry and we’re confident it will have a dramatic effect on the number of roles available and filled in coming years.”

Technology platforms in the gig economy have recently been in for criticism. Only last month, Uber lost its licence in York on the grounds of public safety and security, hot on the heels of having its licence revoked in London in September 2017. 

Tom continued: “The recent cases with Uber, where a rapidly expanding workforce meant that some driver checks were falling through the cracks, demonstrate what can happen if tech companies don’t prioritise vetting and background checks in an ever-growing gig economy. We are confident that we will mitigate these issues and create a safer, more secure workforce. We will continually strive to be recognised as one of the most compliant job marketplaces around and will be looking to add additional checks and processes as we grow.”

Following the launch of Broadstone’s new market-leading app for employers, the firm is aiming to attract over 60,000 individual job seekers to the platform by 2020. 

It was recently the first business in Manchester to receive Northern Powerhouse Investment Funding (NPIF) of £200k for innovative new products and services.    

For more information, visit Broadstone App or find out more on Twitter.