Life sciences & Pharmacy – what’s new in the industry?

The year 2022 has brought many changes to the life sciences sector. As the sector is growing rapidly, we could see the emergence of new roles, changes in organisational structures and a deepening talent shortage in areas that were already experiencing staffing shortages a year ago.

Pharmaceutical companies are following the trend of separating consumer health structures from their organizations and creating new legal personalities for these categories. Such changes also require flexibility in structures – some roles need to be separated, hence the increased recruitment efforts in the areas of quality, compliance and Good Distribution Practice. This trend will continue in 2023.

There is still a shortage of pharmacists. For the past few years, pharmacy graduates have been choosing industries they find more interesting and safer, which has become more important since the start of the pandemic, and that offer more attractive financial opportunities.

They are finding jobs in clinical research, but also in quality, drug distribution and in laboratories and R&D departments. Increasingly, people who have been working in pharmacies for a long time are retraining and looking for jobs in these areas. Pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, are investing and will continue to invest in clinical trials, so we expect to see an increase in recruitment in this area.

Pharmacy chains with a larger number of locations are increasingly introducing solutions involving the creation of positions for so-called mobile pharmacists. A person who takes on such a role is not assigned to one workplace – the pharmacy - but performs their duties where it is most needed due to the absence of regular employees, for example, due to vacation or sick leave. The work takes place in a predetermined region and requires greater mobility.

As a result, these employees can expect to receive a company car and a salary that is approximately 15-20% higher than that of pharmacists working in a single location. It is possible that such solutions will become more popular this year, given the alarming shortage of pharmacists.

In terms of salaries, Poland continues to be an attractive market for foreign companies, which is why we are seeing increased activity related to the transfer of positions and entire teams from countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. With the spread of remote working, such transfers are easier than in the past. They mainly concern work in the areas of regulatory, clinical trials, medical safety or compliance. Very good English skills are required for this type of work, and a good level of English is the norm in this profession.

Candidates from the life sciences sector are characterised by a moderate attachment to their current jobs and are rather eager to participate in recruitment. Due to the rapid development of this sector, many companies are reorganizing their structures, so the sense of continuity and stability is not very strong. When recruiting passive candidates this year, we should expect an increase in financial expectations in the range of 10-20%, depending on competence and position. Changing jobs without an obvious financial benefit is rare in this sector.

Author: Catherine Gołek, Permanent Placement Team Manager in Manpower