The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TSA ramping up hiring efforts with job fair in Atlanta
Agency: ‘Aggressive’ plan needed to deal with heavier traffic.
The Transportation Security Administration is interviewing hundreds of job seekers in Atlanta this week as it ramps up hiring of security officers at Hartsfield-jackson International Airport.
The recruiting event at the Holiday Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport North is one of a number of similar TSA hiring efforts held across the country in recent months.
The two-day job fair, which ends today, comes as TSA faces long lines of passengers at security checkpoints during peak times as travel rebounds. During peak periods such as early morning hours, airport officials have warned of wait times as long as 45 minutes.
Reports in some parts of the country indicate a staffing shortage has exacerbated wait times for screening.
In Atlanta, TSA federal security director Robert Spinden said: “We’re very comfortable with our staffing . ... We’re well-prepared for the summer.”
Still, the agency has a “very aggressive hiring plan” to prepare for heavy traffic this year, particularly busy holiday periods, Spinden said.
“We’re seeing volume coming back very, very rapidly,” with May passenger volume nearly reaching 2019 levels, Spinden said. “We’re just trying to hire as many as possible.”
The jobs come with starting pay of $17.84 an hour and a sign-on bonus of up to $500 for those eligible, and another $500 after one year of work.
TSA has more than 1,200 screening employees in Atlanta. But the agency, like many employers, deals with attrition and must regularly hire workers to fill vacancies. The agency is seeking pay increases in the federal budget to help with recruitment and retention.
About 1,000 people pre-registered for the TSA recruiting event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at 1380 Virginia Ave.
Atlanta resident Chezere Williams said he has been looking for work over the last year after losing a job in the private sector during the pandemic, and is interested in a security position assisting travelers. While the pay is “not stellar, it gets my foot in the door,” he said.
Shakisha Ashly, who lives in College Park and works in customer service at a hotel, said she is interested in TSA as “a good stepping stone to a better career, instead of just focusing on the smaller jobs.”