A BioSpace survey found that 56% of employed and 81% of unemployed respondents are considering jobs outside biopharma. Some are also seriously thinking about leaving the U.S. to find employment in the field.
Although it’s too soon to say whether a biopharma talent exodus will occur, over half of biotech and pharma professionals are considering jobs outside the industry, based on a BioSpace survey this month. Some are even thinking about leaving the country to find employment in their field.
The survey found that 56% of employed and 81% of unemployed respondents are considering roles outside of biopharma. Those numbers shifted from data reported in a July 2024 BioSpace Job Market Trends report. At that time, 59% of employed and 76% of unemployed respondents were considering positions in other fields.
This month’s survey also found that less than half of participants are seriously considering leaving the U.S. to find biopharma employment. Those who are unemployed are more likely to entertain that option.
Bryan Blair, vice president of life sciences at talent solutions firm GQR, has heard similar feedback from job candidates. He told BioSpace that during the past 12 months, about 7% of those he spoke to on intake calls asked about switching industries or working abroad—a 340-fold jump over a four-year period.
From an employer perspective, Tim Scott, president and CEO of life sciences trade association Biocom California, told BioSpace companies haven’t expressed to him concern that employees are considering leaving biopharma or the U.S. The bigger focus, he said, has been how President Donald Trump’s administration is affecting the industry on issues such as National Institutes of Health funding cuts and most favored nation drug pricing.
“The brain drain has been further down the list,” Scott said, “but it’s certainly something that is on people’s radar.”
Layoffs, Job Market Among Reasons Some Consider Change
Nearly 80 BioSpace survey respondents shared their thoughts about potentially taking jobs outside the industry or exiting the U.S. to find biopharma employment. Not surprisingly, concerns about layoffs, the job market and the political climate were common themes.
For example, one unemployed respondent commented, “I’m considering jobs outside of biopharma because I have to. At the start of 2024, I had just finished my graduate training and thought my career was just getting started. Last year was tough just to get a phone call, 2025 feels worse based on open entry-level listings. Fewer salaried jobs, more contracts, and even more specific job descriptions. I’m born and raised in the U.S but the political climate is getting uncomfortable. How’s the weather in Europe?”
Some survey respondents expressed disillusionment with the industry. One unemployed participant commented that for all the talk in biopharma about saving lives, at the end of the day, too many companies folded or laid off employees, and too many drugs and therapies never made it.
“We didn’t do much saving of lives and now we’re out of work,” they wrote. “It’s time to just find work in industries where we’re not hurting anyone and try to be happy with that.”
Similar comments included:
- “Did not spend 20+ years in school to be treated like a disposable wipe, working in another country may be an opportunity to do real good instead of fighting to keep my job.”
- “I got into this industry to make a difference in the lives of patients, but I feel it’s not worth it anymore. I have worked in this space for over 10 years, and the job situation is so bad. People are either unemployed for the long term or underemployed with low salaries and extra stress with companies not hiring enough staff.”
Not every survey respondent who’s considering jobs outside biopharma was pessimistic.
“I am considering a shift in my career due to the limited opportunities and the challenging job market to redefine my career path on my own terms,” wrote one unemployed participant. “While it feels daunting, I think change often leads to growth. I am trying to embrace this opportunity with optimism and patience, knowing that my skills and experience can pave the way to new and exciting possibilities.”
Postdocs, H-1B Workers’ Futures Among Industry Concerns
When it comes to the biopharma talent situation, Scott said his concern is at the university level, where funding cuts mean that some postdocs need to find work elsewhere. He noted that although there are tens of thousands of open roles on Biocom California’s career hub website, job volume isn’t the only factor in where these postdocs head next.
“The question will be if people feel comfortable being able to find the job that they want and stay in the industry,” he said.
Scott was also concerned about what might happen if foreign-born biopharma professionals who require H-1B visas to work in the U.S. return to their home country. The reduced talent pool, he noted, would be an issue for biotechs that must quickly find job candidates after securing funding.
“Immigration reform, in that case, is really important, because you’ll get that talent from anywhere in the world that you can find it to be able to solve the problem that you have right now in front of you in moving this biotech company forward,” Scott said.
Two BioSpace survey respondents mentioned the difficulty of getting companies to sponsor foreign-born employees, with one calling the task “impossible.” Both indicated they’re seriously considering leaving the U.S. to find biopharma employment.
Cost an Issue for Those Looking To Make a Change
Blair said he believes that 75% of the job candidates who’ve asked him about working abroad would move if they had the financial resources to make that work.
“The problem is, there’s not demand in other countries to hire people who make U.S. salaries,” he noted, adding that pay in England, for example, is lower than in the U.S.
One unemployed survey respondent’s comment aligned with Blair’s point about cost being an issue for those considering heading abroad to find work in the industry.
“As for leaving the U.S., it’s just not worth it,” they wrote. “It’s not worth moving for jobs. I’ve done a lot of that and, overall, unless you have some really special skill and want to move to some specific place, moving is just costly and, eventually, the economy changes and you’re without a job, anyway.”
Blair also pointed toward finances being an issue for those considering taking positions outside biopharma. He noted that it’s rare that biotech and pharma jobs pay under $100,000 a year in base salary—as reflected in the BioSpace 2025 Life Sciences Salary Report—and it’s difficult to find comparable pay elsewhere.
“Tech, for some positions, could be a relevant field, but tech isn’t hiring either, so it’s difficult to transfer that way,” Blair said. “Hospital healthcare, there are people that could make that switch, but most people got into pharmaceuticals because they didn’t want to work in the hospital healthcare space.”
Although Blair said he isn’t concerned about a talent exodus because it’s difficult for biopharma professionals to leave the industry or country, he noted that he is worried about them feeling like they need to make those moves.
“I think it’s affecting people’s productivity at work, and it’s causing more people to be let go because they’re dissatisfied,” he said. “It’s difficult to perform when you’re unhappy.”
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