BIOTECHFINANCES No. 990 / June 2022. Industrial relocations, regulatory changes, innovations requiring dual skills… Sources of tension are multiplying in the life sciences job market. As the issue becomes more strategic than ever for both Big Pharma and startups, specialized firms are seeking ways to overcome these challenges.

Could recruitment difficulties, long-standing in the life sciences, become a hindrance to the sector's growth? " The Covid-19 crisis and the risk of shortages of certain pharmaceutical products have highlighted the need to secure the manufacturing of active ingredients and medicines in France or Europe," explain the authors of the Michael Page 2022 study of the sector's job market. "Numerous relocation projects have already been initiated with government support, which is driving massive recruitment across the country ." According to the firm, this crisis has also led new companies to enter the medical device manufacturing market, and foreign companies to try to capture the French market. This has resulted in increased competition for talent.

For Harold Valat, a partner at the consulting firm Vauban , " the pharmaceutical industry in its broadest sense " is affected by these tensions: " Traditional pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, contract manufacturers, CROs, CDMOs, medical device companies, and medtechs are all experiencing a skills shortage, compounded by innovation and the sector's constant evolution ." Production positions are particularly affected, especially in a contract manufacturing market undergoing significant transformation, he notes. As for senior management, " the current near-full employment of executives in almost every sector is exacerbating the problem ."

Crisis in quality and regulatory affairs

Quality-related professions are particularly affected, " across all sectors and for years ," asserts Alexandre Kolow, manager of the Health Care business unit at the consulting firm Persuaders. But for Emmanuel Hervio, practice manager at Michael Page, " the relocation of sites to France and the intensification of production throughout Europe are further increasing the needs, but the pool of available, mobile candidates with the right training is woefully inadequate ." Alexandre Kolow shares this view, and is therefore expanding the recruitment efforts to include professionals from other highly regulated sectors, such as aerospace and automotive.

But this solution isn't feasible for regulatory affairs roles, where " you really need to be from the life sciences sector ," he asserts. However, with the new European regulation on medical devices coming into effect on May 26, 2021, many market players are also looking to recruit in this field, either to monitor their products already on the market or to integrate these skills from the design stage. Yet, here again, he laments, " not enough people are being trained, and those who are already trained need to update their knowledge ."

Another source of tension is the emergence of new, more complex recruitment needs.

According to Emmanuel Hervio, the role of field service engineer, which involves installing equipment and training users, increasingly requires advanced technical skills: “ Everything is connected and networked,” he explains. “At the last Santé Expo trade show, a contact confirmed to me that continuous knowledge updates are necessary, as technology evolves much faster than training .” But it is above all the development of artificial intelligence that “ has given rise to a multitude of new professions,” notes Valat . “New profiles have entered the market, particularly experts with dual—or even triple—scientific skills in biology and computer science .” However, these individuals, who can be both specialists, for example in molecular biology, cites Alexandre Kolow, and capable of managing data and algorithms, are very rare. “ We are moving towards professions that, nevertheless, require combining these two types of skills,” he asserts, “especially in smaller organizations. But for the time being, experts in each of these fields don't speak the same language, and no training program covers all of them .” The consultant's solution: " Find a PhD, in this case in molecular biology, who shows some early signs of computer skills, such as a few years' experience in an AI-related role ." Provided they are willing to strengthen this second aspect of their expertise, they could be a valuable addition to the team.

Identifying " weak signals "

Another dual skill set is particularly sought after: “a scientific profile with a strong business acumen is extremely difficult to find,” explains Harold Valat. “The market often turns to firms specializing in life sciences .” Startups in the sector need these business developers “ even before commercialization ,” confirms Alexandre Kolow. “But while there are many on the market, few are truly skilled in sales and marketing and capable of understanding the product and the ecosystem .” Rather than searching in vain for the “ unicorn ,” it’s better, according to him, to identify a technical expert “ whose experience suggests they have the capacity to acquire sales skills ” or, failing that, a business development specialist “ who has worked so extensively in high-tech companies that they will be able to understand a new one .”

“ Candidates are aware of this situation and are becoming increasingly demanding and selective,” observes Emmanuel Hervio. “What makes the difference is the adaptability of companies .” According to him, provided they accept a certain degree of flexibility—for example, through remote work and the option of living near or far from the workplace—the talent pool can expand. But he remains cautious: “ We may not have seen the last of the surprises: if a large pharmaceutical company were to start offering a four-day workweek to be more attractive, smaller companies wouldn’t be able to keep up… ”

Véronique Vigne-Lepage,
journalist, Economics, Biotech & Finance section
https://www.biotech-finances.com/recrutement-trouver-des-solutions-pour-elargir-le-sourcing/