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Job outlook for teaching assistant/laboratory instructors in the United States
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected teaching assistant/laboratory instructor job growth rate is 2% from 2018-2028.
About 5,400 new jobs for teaching assistant/laboratory instructors are projected over the next decade.
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor salaries have increased 9% for teaching assistant/laboratory instructors in the last 5 years.
There are over 27,720 teaching assistant/laboratory instructors currently employed in the United States.
There are 64,437 active teaching assistant/laboratory instructor job openings in the US.
The average teaching assistant/laboratory instructor salary is $35,183.
Are teaching assistant/laboratory instructor jobs in demand?
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor job and salary trends over time
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor jobs over time
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27,720 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 27,502 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 28,805 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 18,253 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 18,947 | 0.01% |
Average teaching assistant/laboratory instructor salary over time
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $35,183 | $16.91 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $34,474 | $16.57 | +8.5% |
| 2023 | $31,774 | $15.28 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | $30,604 | $14.71 | --5.2% |
| 2021 | $32,283 | $15.52 | +11.1% |
Teaching assistant/laboratory instructor jobs by state
Most common states for teaching assistant/laboratory instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 161 | 19% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 133 | 18% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 111 | 18% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 127 | 17% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,100 | 16% |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 219 | 16% |
| 7 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 167 | 16% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 92 | 16% |
| 9 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 832 | 15% |
| 10 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 484 | 15% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 801 | 14% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,096 | 13% |
| 13 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 652 | 13% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 529 | 13% |
| 15 | Delaware | 961,939 | 123 | 13% |
| 16 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 92 | 13% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,223 | 12% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,104 | 12% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 742 | 12% |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,437 | 11% |
Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of teaching assistant/laboratory instructor experts
College of the Marshall Islands
Lafayette College
Northern Illinois University
Franklin and Marshall College
AGWA - American Grant Writers' Association, Inc.
Texas State University
University of West Georgia
What Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alexander Velasquez: I think that in the next three to five years the most important skills to have—and I mean this—will be critical thinking and imagination. This may sound a bit outlandish, and maybe even a bit naive, but hear me out: Artificial intelligence is making strides to the point where papers are writing themselves with simple instructions, videos are generating themselves with simple instructions, and software is beginning to write itself; and all this has been happening within the last few years. We may begin to see that in the next three to five years, once coveted programming jobs could become automated. Now, what I'm *not* saying is don't go to school for computer programming; but what I *am* saying is that the nature of work and employment *is* changing. For example, if you and and AI are making a video, and both of you have the same script, same voiceover, and so on, the only thing separating your final product from the AI's is the way you *think and imagine*, the perspective that you have as someone who can think critically about the information and lay it out in a visually appealing manner. AI can't do that—at least not yet—because it simply spits out the information it's given. But critical thought, metalevel thinking about information, is what will be one of the most important assets to have in the coming three to five years.
What will help Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors increase their earning potential?
Alexander Velasquez: I think everyone should look into their career fields and find out what it is that makes you more valuable in that field. Are there any certifications that you can get? What is it that you need to know or learn that companies will find valuable? Much can be learned online, so pick up as many of those skills as you can, and make sure they're on your resume or CV. I believe all those things could maximize salary potential, especially when starting out.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Karina Skvirsky: Art careers are not known to pay well, but they produce enough and can be very satisfying for the mind and the soul.
Linda Saborío
Associate Professor and Assistant ChairNorthern Illinois University
World Languages and Cultures
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Linda Saborío: The recent switch in classroom modality from a traditional classroom to virtual learning has led to innovative technology uses in the foreign language classroom. Technology tools provide students with opportunities to connect to foreign lands, where they can be introduced to a different perspective and experience a distinct way of life. There are many innovative and interactive tools available, including Quizlet, Flipgrid, and Audacity; music videos, blogs, and even video chats with partners in another country are all excellent tools for second language acquisition.
In terms of translation technology, one cannot ignore the rapid changes in accuracy. The current technology, neural machine translation, reaches near human-level performance for direct translation. However, language localization, the process of translating images, idiomatic expressions, and a product's overall adaptability from one country to another, requires cultural understanding beyond current technological capabilities.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
David McMahan Ph.D.: Technology is moving so fast that it is unpredictable. One of the most important skills you can have is working with a several thousand years old technology: writing. If you're a good writer, it opens up possibilities that aren't there for those who can't write.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
John Porter Ph.D.: There is not a lot of technology required in grant writing. The most critical and prevalent skill in grant writing, which is lacking, is appropriately writing. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in abbreviation and slang. When put into a standard text, these expressions can become confusing.
The technology is that younger, individual writers may like to stay up on the most recent software and communication methods. Whereas funders, private, corporate, and government, tend not to keep up as fast and have older software versions. This means that the newest and glitziest software may not be compatible with the funder's software when submitting grant proposals and applications.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.: There are large vacancy rates all over the country. This is a good news/bad news issue. However, with a degree in medical laboratory science (also known as a clinical laboratory science) AND certification, one can find employment anywhere in the U.S. One of the great things about this career is that graduates honestly can decide where they "fit best" with regard to geography and employer (urban, rural, large, or small).
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Teaching Assistant/Laboratory Instructors to find work opportunities?
Ye Chen Ph.D.: You could go to higheredjobs.com, https://jobs.chronicle.com/, or university websites for a higher ed job, go-to company, or other organization websites (e.g., Google) industry/government jobs; or use LinkedIn, attend job fairs and professional conferences, to search for job opportunities.