Nearly a third of employed and almost half of unemployed BioSpace survey respondents are seriously considering leaving the U.S. to find biotech and pharma jobs. Concerns about how the political climate is affecting biopharma are a key driver for many.
Frustrations with the political climate and job market are key reasons some biopharma professionals are seriously considering ditching the U.S. to find biotech or pharma work abroad, based on a BioSpace survey.
According to the May survey, 30% of employed and 48% of unemployed respondents are thinking about making the move. Among unemployed participants, those most likely to consider it have been out of work for three months or less (58%). It’s worth noting that this group experienced job loss as news hit about major issues affecting the industry, including massive Department of Health and Human Services layoffs and pharma tariffs. There was also concern—which is ongoing—about vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. helming the HHS and continuing workforce cuts at biotech and pharma companies.
Regarding layoffs specifically, in the first quarter, biopharmas let go of 6,044 employees, a 24% increase over the same period in 2024, based on BioSpace tallies. In more positive news, April’s cuts of 1,368 people were down 22% year over year. All numbers exclude contract development and manufacturing organizations, contract research organizations, tools and services businesses and medical device firms.
Trump Administration’s Impact on Biopharma Troubles Many
Bryan Blair, vice president of life sciences at talent solutions firm GQR, told BioSpace that job candidates are increasingly asking him about leaving the U.S. to find biopharma employment. He noted that females are more likely than males to have political concerns as motivations. Blair said those worries include how politics affect their personal, not just professional, lives.
Although he doesn’t expect a talent exodus involving people leaving the U.S. to work abroad in biopharma, he did have concerns about them considering such a move.
“I don’t think that, for the fabric of our country, this is a good thing that people are so unhappy in what has long been thought to be the economic powerhouse of the world, the greatest country to live in—that people don’t feel comfortable in their own backyards, at their own companies,” Blair said.
Frustration with the political climate and how it affects biopharma came up repeatedly in survey comments. For example, one respondent wrote that there won’t be productive government support for the industry during the rest of President Donald Trump’s term.
“This will not give confidence to investors looking to fund innovation or get drugs to patients in any fact-based or meaningful way,” they commented.
Another respondent’s concerns went beyond Trump’s term.
“The long-term environment will be damaged for years, if not decades, after this administration,” they wrote. “There will be more, and better, opportunities outside of the US.”
Some opportunities could be in China, where there’s a huge need for talent given recent biotech sector growth there, noted Tim Scott, president and CEO of life sciences trade association Biocom California. A recent National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology report highlights that growth, warning that China is getting “dangerously close” to overtaking the U.S. as the global leader in biotech innovation.
Scott did not see a huge need for biopharma talent everywhere, however.
“I don’t think there’s as much opportunity in Europe compared to the United States just because it’s smaller—fewer opportunities,” he told BioSpace.
As biopharma professionals consider where they want to work, their patience may be wearing thin, based on survey comments. In one pointed remark, a respondent explained they’re considering leaving the U.S. due in part to “the regressive and unbelievably caustic posture that our current government has taken towards science in general, not just in tone but by crudely and needlessly kneecapping our institutions for research, development, and regulation... I’ve never been more disillusioned by the prospects and promise of the once noble pursuit of curing disease in this (perhaps no longer so) great country.”
Limited Opportunities, Layoffs Frustrate Job Seekers
Job market concerns were also a significant reason some survey respondents are seriously considering leaving the U.S. to find biopharma employment. Multiple participants commented that the market is saturated and employers aren’t hiring.
One respondent shared, “It’s been 9+ months of trying to find another opportunity that matches my experience and offers either remote flexibility or relocation assistance. I’ve even tried applying to roles where I have transferable skills, but no luck.”
Based on BioSpace data for April, overall biopharma hiring activity is down year over year. There were 8% fewer job postings live on the website last month than the year prior. As to when the job market will turn around, two industry experts recently told BioSpace it likely won’t happen until 2026, noting a need for more investment and the impact of uncertainty on the industry.
Layoffs were also a concern for some respondents thinking about moving abroad to find biopharma work. One shared that after being let go from a small biotech startup in late 2024, they took a job at a Harvard lab because the research topic and career development opportunities there intrigued them.
“Now, with these attacks on Harvard and academia, it’s just not worth it,” they wrote. “Living in MA is painfully expensive, so it’s really difficult to justify that level of instability. Ultimately, as a preclinical researcher, we’re the first ones on the chopping block in industry. Long term on an individual level, it’s just really not sustainable. Part of me wants to be stubborn and ride this out as much as possible. But with the need to survive.. that just may not be feasible.”
Regarding how likely it is that survey respondents with job market concerns would move to work abroad, in at least one case, it’s a strong possibility.
“As a dual citizen, it is relatively easy for me to move to Europe where socialism affords me some protection,” one participant wrote. “I would earn less if I continued in biopharma there, but I would be more secure. In 2 years, I will be an empty-nester and can move without disrupting my kids’ lives. I just need to figure out how to hang on until then.”
Talent Retention Could Become More Critical
With some biopharma professionals considering moving abroad for biotech or pharma jobs and over half thinking about taking positions outside the industry, according to the BioSpace survey, talent retention could become increasingly important. Scott noted that among companies he interacts with, although a potential brain drain is further down their list of concerns, it’s on their radar.
He also highlighted the importance of biopharma professionals to biotech startups, noting that those businesses need three things to get off the ground: talent, funding and space to do their work. Two of those, he said, are being threatened.
“There’s plenty of space right now, the way things are going, but both talent and funding are being threatened, and that’s a real problem for the biotech industry,” Scott said.
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