Security guards are in historic demand among CEOs and executives following the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare boss, just as the position was named one of the fastest growing jobs.
According to a report released Tuesday by LinkedIn, security guards are now the 10th fastest growing job in the workforce. The position came in just behind tech jobs involving AI, sales positions and development specialists.
While the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brain Thompson was not included in the dates reviewed in the report, the demand for security guards saw a major surge following the shooting. In less than two days after the shooting, dozens of requests were sent to Security firm Global Guardian, CNN reported in December.
Glen Kucera, president of enhanced protection services at Allied Universal, concurred with this, telling Fortune last month, "We're getting calls from everybody. Demand for the security business follows events. If there's a specific incident, then companies say, 'I need to protect my executives. I need to protect my employees from this happening again.'"
Following the death of Thompson, law enforcement officials released an alert, warning executives about the "growing negative sentiment" surrounding "the wealthy."
In light of stories surrounding various denied claims submitted to UnitedHealth, sentiment among the public has been more split regarding the shooting. Luigi Mangione, the suspect arrested in the case, has garnered somewhat of a fanbase online as users praised the shooting and created funds for his legal fees.
In a December poll by Emerson College, about 4 out of 10 young voters thought that the fatal shooting was "acceptable" or "somewhat acceptable."
The CEO of UnitedHealth, UnitedHealthcare's parent company, called for work to "fix" the U.S. healthcare system in an op-ed published by the New York Times, only for the Times to later turn off comments on the piece after it was flooded by users accusing the executive of empty promises.
Mangione has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as various weapons charges. The 26-year-old pleaded not guilty, and is due back in court Feb. 21, as reported by the Associated Press.
Originally published on Latin Times
