UK’s life sciences sector continues to attract talent despite Brexit fear
The largest area of growth has been within biotechnology companies, where job openings increased by 35%.
Despite the on-going political and economic turmoil, demand for professionals to work within the UK’s life sciences sector increased by 25% in 2019, according to data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) and business intelligence specialist, Vacancysoft.
The research also revealed that, while pharmaceutical firms continue to provide the lion’s share of professional opportunities, the largest area of growth has been within biotechnology companies, where job openings increased by 35%. Demand for professionals in clinical research organisations was also high, rising by 25% year-on-year.
In terms of function, R&D remains the strongest area for hiring, with vacancies up by 31% since 2018. Demand for quality assurance specialists was also notable, rising by 28%. By specialist role, clinical researchers were noted as a fast growth profession, increasing by 25% within clinical research organisations and 10% across Big Pharma.
South East England is the most dominant region for hiring life sciences professionals, accounting for 37% of all vacancies in the UK in 2019. Since 2018, job openings in the region have increased by 22%. In London, vacancies rose by 30% over the same period and now account for 18% of total roles. While accounting for a smaller proportion of overall vacancies, the East Midlands, Yorkshire & the Humber, South West England and North East England all noted 50%+ year-on-year growth in demand for professionals to work in the sector.
Research organisation, Covance, is now the largest single hirer of life sciences professionals in the UK, with vacancies up by 111% year-on-year in 2019. PRA Health Sciences, Envigo and AstraZeneca are also major players, with vacancies at these firm increasing by 210%, 71% and 21%, respectively.
Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo, commented: “The UK life sciences sector is the most productive in the G7, and it’s encouraging to see that the government is fully committed to supporting its growth and by default, jobs in the sector. There are ambitious plans in the pipeline - as outlined in Sir John Bell’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy - which focus on developing cutting-edge technology and new innovations along with £1.2 billion of new investment that will further strengthen the UK as a world-leading science base.”
James Chaplin, CEO of Vacancysoft, added: “The life sciences sector in the UK continues to go from strength to strength, and is undoubtedly a critical part of the nation’s economic strength. It contributes over £70 billion a year to the economy and supports 240,000 jobs - with no signs of slowing down. It is also unsurprising to see that R&D continues to be one of the strongest areas for hiring, as the government has recently announced that it is committed to raising the intensity of R&D spend to reach 2.4% of GDP in the UK by 2027.”
Related News
-
News Patients vs Pharma – who will the Inflation Reduction Act affect the most?
The Inflation Reduction Act brought in by the Biden administration in 2022 aims to give better and more equitable access to healthcare in the USA. However, pharma companies are now concerned about the other potential costs of such legislation. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: What does the changing US Pharma market mean for industry and patients alike?
In this week's episode of the CPHI Podcast Series Lucy Chard, Digital Editor for CPHI Online is joined by James Manser to discuss the political and market changes in the US pharma field. -
News CPHI Barcelona Annual Report illuminates industry trends for 2024
The CPHI Annual Survey comes into it’s 7th year to report on the predicted trends for 2024. Over 250 pharma executives were asked 35 questions, with their answers informing the industry landscape for the next year, spanning all major pharma marke... -
News Which 10 drugs are open to price negotiation with Medicare in the USA?
The Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, under the Biden administration in the USA, has released a list of the 10 drugs that will be open to price negotiations as part of the new legislation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). -
News EU Medical Devices Regulation causes unintended disappearances of medical devices for children, doctors state
Doctor groups and associations have appealed to the EU to correct the EU Medical Devices Regulation law that may cause unintended shortages of essential drug and medical devices for children and rare disease patients. -
News 10 Major Drug Approvals So Far in 2023
Last year, 37 novel drugs were approved by the FDA, this was a high number for such a category, and covered many fields including oncology, demonstrating how promising further research is, and how it is only continuing to build. To date, there are alre... -
News Detecting Alzheimer's disease with a simple lateral flow test
A novel rapid diagnostic test for early-stage Alzheimer's disease has been developed using a biomarker binder from Aptamer Group along with technology from Neuro-Bio, the neurodegenerative disease experts. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: outsourcing and manufacturing trends
Listen to the CPHI Podcast Series this June to hear Gil Roth of the PBOA speak with Digital Editor Lucy Chard about the biggest trends and topics to watch in pharma outsourcing and manufacturing at the minute.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance