Employment

Biotechnology technicians held about 270,800 jobs throughout the nation in 2008. About 30 percent of the technicians worked in professional, scientific, or technical services firms; most other technicians worked in educational services, government, or pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing.

Job opportunities are expected to be best for graduates of applied science technology programs who are well trained on equipment used in laboratories or production facilities. Overall employment of biotechnology technicians is expected to grow by 12 percent nationally during the 2008-2018 decade. The continued growth of scientific and medical research-particularly research related to biotechnology-will be the primary driver of employment growth, but the development and production of technical products should also stimulate demand for science technicians in many industries.