The pharmaceutical job market has been growing exponentially over the last ten months and is on an upward trajectory for job seekers. At our recent #STEMSeries event, we spoke with Neil Warma, General Manager at I-Mab Biopharma, Dr. Juan Nadal, Former Vice President of Medical Communication at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Wendy Huerta, MSP Program Manager at Randstad Sourceright, Craig Heywood, Vice President at Real Staffing, and Paul Kielt, Senior Director at Real Staffing, to discuss the current and future trends impacting the pharmaceutical job market. Discussion points included how COVID-19 has impacted the industry, pharmaceutical value chain disruption, employers plan to shift their businesses to accommodate our “new normal,” and career advice for those seeking employment.
How has the pharmaceutical industry collectively reacted to the impact of Covid-19?
Those who are in the pharmaceutical industry have seen both positive and negative sides to the pandemic. For one, there has been a tremendous effort of organizations coming together to research and develop vaccines for COVID-19 and other life-threatening illnesses. In many cases, this collaboration has triggered innovation, and many organizations are thinking more creatively when it comes to standard clinical processes. Nonetheless, the pandemic had brought challenges to the industry when executing clinical trials. With the impact of COVID-19, trials have been delayed or have seen a significant decline in enrollment. Hospitals have been overcrowded, and it’s been challenging to find willing participants to execute the trials.
What disruptions have occurred in the pharmaceutical value chain?
With the acceleration of positive COVID-19 cases worldwide, governments have been calling on the pharmaceutical industry to develop an effective vaccine quickly. Because of this, companies have been racing to the finish line to create a vaccine when the process would typically take years to complete. This rapid movement has produced many contract job opportunities for candidates and altered how we think about vaccine development. This swift change in process has opened opportunities in the AI space, biostatistics, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, and more. The pharmaceutical value chain may have been disrupted, but the results have been astounding and hold for a promising future ahead.
How have employers in the pharmaceutical industry had to shift their business to accommodate new employees?
As previously mentioned, when pharmaceutical organizations began to hire more aggressively, there was and still is a demand for niche contract job placement. Organizations are now looking to hire talent with specific skills or expertise to benefit long- or short-term projects. On the flip side, many pharmaceutical companies who were not keen on remote work now have more options for those employees who need flexibility around where and what hours they work. This shift has created a sense of excitement for what the future of work looks like.
Advice to candidates and the future of the industry
If you are looking to get into the pharma industry but unsure where to start, reaching out to a staffing agency and working with a recruiter is a great way to get your foot in the door. Working with a recruiter gives you an advocate to help you stand out from a stack of resumes. Don’t have a degree in science but still want to get into the industry? With the pharma job market on the rise, many companies have begun to think outside of the box and are looking for passionate individuals with transferable skills that can be applied to the sciences, like project management. Networking is also a great way to connect with those who are in pharma. LinkedIn is the number one professional networking site worldwide, so use it to your advantage and join groups, follow those who inspire you, and engage with others in your field. This will quickly help you get noticed and build your professional network.
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