Surgical technologist employment is predicted to grow by 24% by 2016, according to the US Labor Bureau. This is much faster than the average growth rate for other industries.

Surgical tech job growth is due to an increasing number of surgeries being performed, which is caused by an increasing population of elderly. As the baby boomer generation ages and encounters health problems, the number of procedures requested is growing.

Another source of job growth is new advancements in technology, such as lasers and fiber optics, allowing more procedures to be performed and allowing surgical techs to assist with more of them.

Hospitals will continue to be the largest employer of surgical technologists, though employment is growing the fastest in physician’s clinics and outpatient centers.

The top 5 industries employing the most surgical techs (May, 2008):