Workforce
Who We Are
Today, approximately 48,000 Transportation Security Officers serve on TSA's frontline in 457 U.S. airports. They use their training and experience to effectively and efficiently screen approximately 2 million people a day.
Good security requires an engaged and empowered workforce. As part of TSA's ongoing model workplace efforts, TSA has undertaken a series of progressive workforce initiatives in recent years. Those efforts have focused on motivating and educating the workforce by opening lines of communication, fostering safe and productive work environments and identifying and rewarding exemplary performance. Initiatives include:
- The Career Evolution Program, in which entry level positions with promotion potential at TSA headquarters were opened to field employees willing to relocate.
- More employees than ever before participated in the 2009 pay-for-performance program, and more employees – compared to 2008 – received the highest performance rating. This provides employees with a 4 percent pay raise, in addition to cost of living increases, a $2,500 bonus and the opportunity to earn other bonuses. More than 99 percent of TSOs received bonuses for their ability to pass recertification testing.
- The nurse-case management program, implemented to provide focus and direction for early medical intervention for injured employees, reduces lost time due to injury. The program has already decreased the initial work-related absences from an average of 45 days to an average of 12 days.
- Enhanced whistleblower protection rights for TSOs enables them to appeal whistleblower retaliation complaints to the Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent board. Additionally, a Peer Review Program was implemented for the Security Officer workforce, which allows them to have workplace issues subject to grievance decided by a panel of their peers.
- TSA provides government payment of Federal Employee Health Benefits at the full-time rate for part-time Officers. It also expanded the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program to permit employees to donate sick and compensatory leave as well as annual leave to other TSA employees in need.
- Continued refresher training includes 12-15 hours quarterly for each TSO on equipment, processes and procedures. In addition, the 2009 training plan, totaling approximately 16 hours, was dedicated to improving Officer recognition and detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
To learn more about TSA's major workforce initiatives, click here.
Additional facts and figures about the TSA workforce:
- More than 50 percent of Transportation Security Officers have been with TSA for more than 5 years and overall spend an average of 4.7 years with the agency.
- More than 20 percent of Officers are veterans of the U.S. military.
- Voluntary attrition of full-time Officers for FY09 was 5.3 percent (as of 9/26/09), a drop of 58 percent from FY06.
- Depending on the assigned function, a TSO's initial training consists of about 130 hours, 70 of which are on the job. The training involves classroom training on the passenger checkpoint that features a combination of instructor-led lessons and demonstrations; a Web-based introductory overview of what officers should expect; and on-the-job certification.
- On a daily basis, more than 3,800 IED drills are conducted at checkpoints nationwide. In addition, approximately 45,000 images of dangerous and prohibited items are projected onto X-ray screens during daily checkpoint operations.
