The agreement comes at a crucial moment for Europe. Security risks are evolving, labour shortages are growing, digital technologies are transforming services, and critical infrastructure is under pressure. Private security workers are present every day in public spaces, transport, hospitals, energy sites, cash management, alarm response and the protection of critical infrastructure. Yet the sector remains too often underrecognised.

“Private security is an essential service for European citizens and economies: without enough skilled security professionals, we’ll have problems at airport security, event security, incident and alarm response, cash transport and critical infrastructure,” says CoESS’ Social Dialogue Chair, Eduardo Cobas. “Labour and skills shortages in our sector are therefore not only a business challenge, but a structural risk to Europe’s security and preparedness. And we see it as a shared responsibility in Social Dialogue to find solutions to this issue that work for workers, companies and society. But this also requires political action: EU public procurement rules must stop rewarding the lowest price and start supporting quality jobs, training, professionalism and fair competition.”

Through this Work Programme, the European social partners send a clear message: private security is an essential part of Europe’s security and preparedness architecture. Its role must be recognised, and this recognition must go hand in hand with quality working conditions and services, fair competition, professional training and strong social dialogue.

Public procurement: quality over lowest price

The central priority of CoESS and UNI Europa is public procurement reform.

Too many private security contracts are still awarded mainly on the basis of the lowest price. This puts pressure on wages, working conditions, training, collective bargaining and service quality. For a sector that contributes directly to public safety, this is not only an economic problem. It is a security and preparedness problem.

CoESS and UNI Europa will therefore continue to advocate for socially responsible public procurement. Public authorities must be able, and expected, to buy quality security services. Contracts should include meaningful social and quality criteria, respect labour law and collective agreements where they exist, and support responsible companies – at the benefit of European security and preparedness.

The revision of the EU Public Procurement Directive is a key opportunity to ensure that public money supports safe, professional and socially responsible security services.

Skills and professionalisation: preparing for change

The Work Programme also focuses strongly on training, skills and professionalisation.

The EU-funded INTEL project (www.securityskills.eu) has shown that the sector faces an ageing workforce and difficulties in attracting young people. At the same time, digitalisation, AI, remote monitoring and crisis response are impacting the work of private security officers and skills demands.

The social partners will support new training materials and encourage the integration of emerging topics into national training curricula. These include digitalisation and AI, de-escalation, communication skills, preparedness and crisis response.

This is essential for workers, who need fair pay, predictable working time, real career paths and lifelong learning opportunities. It is also essential for companies, which need skilled staff to deliver high-quality services in a more complex security environment.

Diversity and inclusion: opening the sector to new talent

CoESS and UNI Europa also place diversity, equality and inclusion at the heart of the Work Programme.

Women still represent only a limited share of the European private security workforce. More should be done also to better attract and integrate young workers, people with disabilities, people with migrant backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ workers. The sector cannot meet its future labour needs without becoming more inclusive and attractive to a wider range of workers. This means inclusive workplace cultures, equal access to training, fair career progression and strong action against discrimination and harassment.

Through the EU-funded BUILD project, the social partners will put into practice and review their joint statement on Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination, while promoting good practices at national level.

Preparedness and resilience: recognising an essential service

The Work Programme reflects the growing role of private security in Europe’s preparedness and resilience.

Private security services are increasingly involved in critical infrastructure protection, public space security, and crisis management. In many areas, private security workers support public emergency services 24/7 and help maintain safety and continuity before, during and after incidents.

The social partners will follow up with the European Commission on their joint statement on private security as an essential service in Europe’s preparedness and security architecture, directly linking this work to the EU Preparedness Union Strategy.

They will also carry out strategic foresight on digitalisation and AI, climate change, extreme events, geopolitical risks, labour market needs and workforce resilience. This will support crisis response training and guidelines for the use of private security in emergencies.

A common agenda for a stronger sector

The Work Programme also covers cash-in-transit, standardisation and cooperation with the European Labour Authority to tackle undeclared and underdeclared work.

With this new agenda, CoESS and UNI Europa confirm that social dialogue is not only a forum for discussion. It is a tool to shape the future of the sector.

By working together on procurement, skills, inclusion, preparedness, standards and fair competition, the European social partners aim to build a private security sector that is more attractive for workers, fairer for companies, more trusted by public authorities and better prepared to protect society.