Here are 12 employment statistics and trends for dental leaders to know:
1. The dentist workforce is getting younger, driven by more dental school graduates joining the workforce each year and the large number of dentists over 60 who have left the field since 2017.
2. More than half of all dental assistants are currently applying for new jobs or planning to do so before 2026.
3. About 12% of dental hygienists are currently applying for new jobs or are planning to do so before 2026.
4. From January through October, U.S. employers cut 1,099,500 jobs — up from 664,839 during the same period in 2024. That figure represents a 65% increase from the first 10 months of 2024 and a 44% increase from all of last year, according to the report. Year-to-date job cuts are also at their highest level since 2020, when 2,304,755 cuts were announced through October. Cost-cutting was the most common reason for job reductions in October.
5. Despite layoffs and a slowing job market, Generation Z employees are still prioritizing work-life balance.
6. Fifty-seven percent of healthcare workers feel in control of their careers, compared to 45% of U.S. workers across all industries.
7. Women working full time in 2024 earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by men — the largest gender pay gap reported since 2016.
8. Two in 5 U.S. employees work in a “quality” job — one that allows employees to meet basic financial needs, feel safe and respected, expand their skills, have a voice in decisions affecting them and maintain some control over their work.
9. Nearly 30% of U.S. employees say their manager is too stressed to help them at work.
10. Nearly 60% of Generation Z and early career professionals are thinking about and planning for retirement.
11. Generation Z employees are the least likely generation to prefer fully remote work.
12. Nearly 75% of the 1.8 million jobs added in healthcare and social assistance over the past two years were women-held roles.
