Among those who connected salary increases to swapping out employers, 75% saw pay rise by at least 6%, and the most often cited increase was 10%, according to the just-released BioSpace salary report.
Biopharma professionals who want pay bumps topping 5% might be better off switching companies than striving for excellence in their current jobs, based on the new BioSpace 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Salary Report. While only 9% of survey respondents employed full time reported receiving salary increases due to changing employers, the increase they most often reported was 10%. Those who connected pay bumps to merit-based raises most frequently received 3%.
The report also found that most respondents who changed employers—75.1%—received increases of at least 6%, while just 22.6% of their counterparts did. Put another way, around three out of four respondents who reported performance-based increases fell into the 1% to 5% range, while only about one out of four of those who switched companies did so.
In looking at the high end of what’s possible by swapping out employers, the salary report showed that 5% of respondents who made that move saw their salaries surge by 25%, while 10% landed increases of at least 26%. Among biopharma professionals who received merit-based increases at their current employers, less than 1% saw their pay rise by 25% or more.
As to why some respondents who changed employers experienced such large salary increases, it’s possible they moved from small companies—possibly startups—to large ones that tend to pay employees more.
Higher Pay Top of Mind in Employer’s Market
Pay has been a serious consideration for biopharma professionals in today’s tough job market. In a survey late last year for the BioSpace 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report, more respondents reduced their compensation expectations than in the previous year, whether they were employed (43% in 2025, 36% in 2024) or unemployed (77% in 2025, 68% in 2024). That said, money still mattered, as for the second year in a row, compensation was the No. 1 reason candidates turned down a job offer.
In employment outlook survey comments, multiple respondents expressed concerns about salary disparities and a lack of raises.
“Higher ups get more money while those performing the task to run the business day to day get the brunt of less workers, more work, no rewards or no increase year over year,” one participant wrote. “It’s bleak and why we have so many people working but still requiring government funded programs to pick up where our employers are not meeting our pay plan needs to just pay bills.”
68% of salary survey respondents believe they’d need to change employers to get a raise they’d be happy with.
Based on comments like those, it should not be surprising that 68% of salary survey respondents believe they’d need to change employers to get a raise they’d be happy with. However, given that only 9% reported actual increases, it’s far from guaranteed that hopping from one company to another will result in desired pay.
As to how much biopharma professionals earned in 2025, the salary report brought mixed findings. Average full-time salaries declined by 6% year over year, from $159,419 to $149,945. Still, although pay dropped, it was higher in 2025 than in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Even though salaries dipped year over year, 61% of respondents reported they received an increase. Among participants employed full time, which includes full-time contractors, the most often reported pay bump was 3%. That’s the same number most frequently cited by those who said their salaries went up due to merit-based increases.
As to why salaries rose, the top three reasons were merit-based raises (59.4%), cost-of-living adjustments (24.4%) and companywide increases (23.9%).
It’s important to note that salary is just part of the compensation picture, with bonuses potentially playing a key role in keeping employees happy. There was good news on that front last year. Bonuses had a higher average value in 2025 than in the previous four years, hitting $37,113. That was up 24% from 2024, when the average was $28,357.
Looking Ahead: Pay Increases in 2026
As to what will happen with salary increases this year, they should remain steady, if modest, according to BioSpace Vice President of Marketing Chantal Dresner, who’s overseen the salary report since 2021.
“Though there are hopes that the market will warm up this year, companies are choosing to mitigate risk and are spending cautiously, and that includes how they are paying their workforce,” she said.
Dresner also noted that biopharma professionals may not get the pay they’re seeking this year if they have high expectations.
“The job market has given employers choice amongst the talent market, decreasing the incentive for offering significant salary increases and making larger offers,” she said.
