A person working in Law Enforcement / Security / Fire in Jamaica typically earns around 76,700 JMD per month. Salaries range from 28,700 JMD (lowest average) to 151,000 JMD (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different Law Enforcement / Security / Fire careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Accreditation Coordinator | 83,800 JMD |
Accreditation Manager | 119,000 JMD |
Advocate | 78,600 JMD |
Control Room Operator | 31,400 JMD |
Criminal Investigator | 110,000 JMD |
Facility Monitor | 62,000 JMD |
Fire Chief | 106,000 JMD |
Fire Dispatcher | 52,300 JMD |
Fire Education Specialist | 90,100 JMD |
Fire Extinguisher Technician | 34,200 JMD |
Fire Fighter | 58,100 JMD |
Fire Inspector | 105,000 JMD |
Fire Investigator | 106,000 JMD |
Fire Prevention Engineer | 88,200 JMD |
Forensic Investigator | 99,700 JMD |
Forensic Science Technician | 104,000 JMD |
Fraud and Forensic Specialist | 115,000 JMD |
Fraud Examiner | 107,000 JMD |
Grants Specialist | 129,000 JMD |
Intellectual Property Associate | 93,700 JMD |
Intelligence Research Specialist | 156,000 JMD |
Investigator | 110,000 JMD |
Jail Officer | 47,000 JMD |
Juvenile Probation Officer | 72,800 JMD |
Juvenile Supervision Officer | 73,200 JMD |
Lock-Smith | 31,400 JMD |
Parole Officer | 51,600 JMD |
Police Captain | 123,000 JMD |
Police Communications Officer | 72,600 JMD |
Police Officer | 58,400 JMD |
Police Patrol Officer | 52,900 JMD |
Prison Officer | 44,400 JMD |
Prisoner Custody Officer | 37,500 JMD |
Private Detective / Investigator | 105,000 JMD |
Security Adviser | 104,000 JMD |
Security Guard | 29,900 JMD |
Security Management Specialist | 154,000 JMD |
Security Manager | 151,000 JMD |
Security Officer | 35,600 JMD |
Security Supervisor | 84,100 JMD |
Security Systems Installer | 84,000 JMD |
Security Technician | 36,200 JMD |
Surveillance Operator | 42,700 JMD |
Traffic Controller | 61,300 JMD |
Law Enforcement / Security / Fire salaries in Jamaica range from 28,700 JMD per month (minimum average salary) to 151,000 JMD per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher).
The median salary is 75,200 JMD per month, which means that half (50%) of people working in Law Enforcement / Security / Fire are earning less than 75,200 JMD while the other half are earning more than 75,200 JMD. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of people working in Law Enforcement / Security / Fire are earning less than 46,700 JMD while 75% of them are earning more than 46,700 JMD. Also from the diagram, 75% of people working in Law Enforcement / Security / Fire are earning less than 111,000 JMD while 25% are earning more than 111,000 JMD.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
It is well known that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We compared the salaries of professionals at the same level but with different college degrees levels across many jobs, below are our findings.
Workers with a certificate or diploma earn on average 17% more than their peers who only reached the high school level.
Employees who earned a Bachelor's Degree earn 24% more than those who only managed to attain a cerificate or diploma.
Professionals who attained a Master's Degree are awarded salaries that are 29% more than those with a Bachelor's Degree.
Finally, PhD holders earn 23% more than Master's Degree holders on average while doing the same job.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Jamaica costs anywhere from 482,000 Jamaican Dollar(s) to 1,450,000 Jamaican Dollar(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support this tactic. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
The decision really depends on your situation and experience among many other factors. Putting all variables aside, if you can afford the costs of higher education then the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in Jamaica who work in Law Enforcement / Security / Fire earn 8% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 79,800 JMD | |
Female | -7% | 73,800 JMD |
Law Enforcement / Security / Fire professionals in Jamaica are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 4% every 29 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 5% granted to employees every 28 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 7% | |
Energy | 5% | |
Information Technology | 3% | |
Healthcare | 1% | |
Travel | 8% | |
Construction | 6% | |
Education | 4% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Jamaica for the year 2020. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Law Enforcement / Security / Fire is considered to be a low bonus-based field due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
91% of surveyed staff in Law Enforcement / Security / Fire reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 9% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 1% to 3% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 9% | |
No Bonus | 91% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Law Enforcement / Security / Fire is 20% less than that of All Jobs.
City | Average Salary |
Kingston | 84,500 JMD |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Jamaica earn 10% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 93,500 JMD | |
Public Sector | +10% | 103,000 JMD |