The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is sticking to its 2012 forecasts that more than 60,000 jobs will be added to the dental hygiene workforce during the next seven years, prompting a number of websites to paint a rosy future for job security within the profession.
Forgive the dental hygiene profession for being skeptical, though. Almost three years into the BLS 10-year forecast of “much faster than average” growth in jobs, dental hygienists are still a little cynical.
Nationally, 86% of 1,814 dental hygienists surveyed for the annual RDH eVillage salary survey think jobs are “somewhat” or “very” difficult to find.
Texas seems to be the most indicative of potential job growth in the profession; 24% of Texas dental hygienists said finding a job is “relatively easy.” Other states that said it was relatively easy to find employment are Maryland (19%) and Colorado (16%).
The percentages above are correct. In no state did a majority of dental hygienists say job hunting was easy — not even close to it. The states feeling the greatest pinch due to a shortage of jobs appear to be Missouri, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Michigan.
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