Department of Homeland Security
Kyle Stone | GovCentral Contributing Writer
If you’ve looked into federal employment before, you’ll find significant changes since early 2003. Public Law 107-296 established the Department of Homeland Security on January 24, 2003, in response to the September 11th attacks. Many functions were transferred to Homeland Security from other departments, including:
1) Immigration and naturalization from the Department of Justice.
2) Transportation Security Administration and the US Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation.
3) U.S. Customs Service from the Treasury Department.
4) Parts of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service from the Agriculture Department.
5) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
DHS leads a national effort to secure America, prevents and deters terrorist attacks, protects against and responds to threats to the nation, ensures safe and secure borders, and welcomes lawful immigrants and visitors. The Department is expected to be doing extensive hiring over the next three years with a specific focus on border control and airport security personnel.
Number of Employees: 149,000
Career Fields:
● Security and Protection
● Compliance and Enforcement
● Biological Sciences
● Contracting
● Administration / Program Management
Future Hiring Projections (FY 2007-09): 47,897
Top Five Occupations:
● Transportation Security Officer (22,329)
● Border Patrol Agent (9,884)
● Customs and Border Protection Agent (6,976)
● Contractor (1,000)
● Agricultural Scientist (942)
Click here for a current list of DHS vacancies.
Agency Website:
Department of Homeland Security
