Most job boards let employers hide the pay. We do the opposite — every job on Security Jobs Ireland shows its rate, because after 25 years in this industry (including a decade setting security pay at group level), I believe a licensed professional deserves to know what their time is worth before they apply. This guide is the honest picture of security pay in Ireland in 2026: the legal floor, the real market rates, and how to climb.
The legal floor: €15.41 an hour — and it is the law, not a guideline
Security is one of the few Irish industries with its own statutory pay floor, set by the Employment Regulation Order (ERO) for the security industry. Since 22 July 2025, the minimum rate for an adult security operative is €15.41 per hour — nearly €2 above the national minimum wage of €13.50. That premium exists because this is licensed, professional work, and the State recognises it as such.
The ERO is legally enforceable. Under licensing standard PSA28:2013, licensed contractors must comply with it, and the PSA monitors compliance through its inspection regime. An employer paying a security operative below €15.41 is not driving a hard bargain — they are breaking the law.
Night workers: the €20 premium
Since 1 January 2026, the ERO unsocial-hours premium is €20 per night shift (up from €16.80 in 2025). Work four nights a week and that is roughly €4,160 extra a year on top of your hourly rate — before any overtime. Security is a night industry; the law now prices that properly.
What else the ERO gives you (that many workers never claim)
- Extra annual leave for service: one additional day per year after 5 years with your employer, two additional days after 10 years — including service carried over under TUPE transfers.
- Personal Attack Benefit: a non-contributory benefit applying after 6 months’ service.
- Overtime counts in holiday pay: regular rostered overtime must be included when your holiday pay is calculated.
What live jobs actually pay right now
Every figure below comes from a live ad on our board this week — not a survey, not an estimate:
- Retail & static guarding: €15.41–€17.00/hour
- Mobile patrol (nights): €16.50/hour plus the €20 night premium and patrol vehicle provided
- Cash-in-transit: ERO rates plus role allowances — and a defined progression path
- Corporate security (experienced): €16.50–€18.50/hour in Dublin city centre
- Door supervision & events: typically above the floor, varying by venue and shift
How to move up the scale
The pattern in the rates above is no accident. The roles at the top of the range reward stacked licence sectors (add CCTV or CIT to your guarding licence), corporate experience and presentation, first aid and conflict-management certs, and reliability on nights — the shifts where the premium lives. Close protection sits above all of this as the specialist ceiling. Each addition is a few days of training with a PSA-approved provider, and each one moves your market rate.
Paid under €15.41? That is not a negotiation
If you are working as a security operative for a security firm and being paid below the ERO rate, you have a legal entitlement to the difference. You can raise a complaint through the Workplace Relations Commission — and you can browse the board here any evening and see, rates displayed, what compliant employers are paying.
For employers: every job on this platform shows its rate — and transparent ads consistently convert better. If you pay properly, say so publicly: it is your best recruitment advantage. Post a job free.
Browse live jobs — rates shown on every ad →
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