Have you ever wondered, are dental assistants in high demand? These medical professionals help dentists run their offices, treat patients, and keep people healthy. Working as a dental assistant is a rewarding job if you like helping people. It’s always a growing career with lots of job openings! Learn everything you need to know about dental assistant demand to see if becoming a dental assistant is right for you.
Dental Assistant Job Demand
Dental assisting is one of the fastest growing jobs in the U.S. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor projects that the number of dental assistant jobs will increase by 11% between 2020 and 2030. We should see an 8% increase in all American jobs in that same time. The dental assistant job demand is lots higher compared to other fields. There will be lots more dental assistant jobs available than other types of work.
What is job growth, exactly? Job growth describes how many jobs are expected to be added in a field over a certain time. Careers with lots of job growth, like dental assistants, should see lots of new job postings in the next decade.
Job growth isn’t always positive. Some outdated industries won’t add many jobs in the future. These fields have low job growth, below the U.S. average of 8%. Shrinking industries can even have negative job growth! If a field is losing jobs through closures, layoffs, and low demand, it’ll have negative job growth.
What Is The Demand For Dental Assistants?
How many new dental assistant jobs are on the horizon? The Department of Labor expects to see around 44,000 dental assistant jobs posted every year until at least 2030. This will be almost 350,000 jobs across the country!
Some of these jobs will be filling previous positions. We’ll see some of today’s dental assistants retire or change careers by 2030. However, some will be brand-new jobs. Dental assistants are in high demand for the next decade–and maybe longer than that.
Dental assistant job demand will reach 11% over the next decade. This is part of a larger trend where healthcare jobs are all growing. The overall job market isn’t expanding as quickly as dental assisting. There will only be an 8% expansion across the economy. If you’re looking for a steady job with good future options, remember that dental assistants are in high demand!
Why Dental Assistants Are In Demand
Lots of people are wondering, why are dental assistants an in-demand job. There are lots of reasons why more than 40,000 new dental assistants are being hired every year. Social changes, aging populations, and even the pandemic all impact the dental industry. Learn why there are so many dental assistant jobs on the market.
Dental Care For Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers have been making waves since they were born. This is no different as boomers age. The current generation is more likely to keep their original teeth instead of opting for dentures. This means that there will be lots of demand for dental work—plus lots of demand for dental assistants.
Filling Current Jobs
There were around 330,220 dental assistants working in the U.S. in 2020. Some of these workers will stay in their jobs over the next decade but others will leave the field. As dental assistants retire or change careers, dentists will need to replace them with new assistants.
Economic Recovery
The economy has gone through some rough patches recently. The pandemic, international unrest, supply chain issues, inflation, and other problems have caused ripple effects throughout the economy. There will be plenty of demand for dental assistants and other skilled workers as part of the economic recovery.
Growing Demand For Dental Treatment
Teeth are an important part of a healthy body. Dental health can impact everything from heart sickness to mental health. The U.S. will face a big demand for dental assistants as more people seek dental services.
What Is The Long-Term Demand For Dental Assistants?
How many dental assistants will there be in 2030? There were 330,200 dental assistants across the country in 2020. The U.S. Department of Labor expects the career to grow by 11% in the coming decade, meaning there will be 367,000 dental assistants by 2030.
There will be almost 37,000 brand-new dental assistant jobs in 2030, but this isn’t all. There will also be job openings as current dental assistants leave the field. Many dental assistants will be retiring in the next decade. Some will also change jobs and move into a different line of work. The Department of Labor predicts dentists will hire about 44,000 new dental assistants every year.
This means there will be more than 400,000 new dental assistants hired between now and 2030!
How To Support Your Family As A Dental Assistant
There are lots of reasons why a mom decides to become a dental assistant. Dental assistants help people every day! They get to do interesting work, in a safe environment, with a steady schedule. Most dental assistants also receive valuable benefits like insurance, time off, and retirement accounts.
Even better, it doesn’t take long to become a dental assistant. Most dental assistant training programs take a year or less. You can finish some fast-paced programs in just months. The next decade will see lots of dental job growth, so dental assistant training is a great investment in your future. Your new job will deliver a good salary and useful benefits to support your family.
Want to learn more about becoming a dental assistant? Click here for our free dental assistant resources on finding a program, paying for school, managing childcare, keeping your home running, job hunting, and more.
References
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, April 18). Dental assistants: Job outlook. Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-assistants.htm#tab-6
