Job Trends

BioSpace data show job postings live increased quarter over quarter, while layoffs fell year over year.
Labor Market Reports
BioSpace’s 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook examines the state of the biopharma workforce amid ongoing funding pressure, elevated layoffs and cautious hiring sentiment, while highlighting early signals of stabilization and cautious optimism for the year ahead.
BioSpace’s 2025 Q4 U.S. Life Sciences Job Market update highlights early signs of stabilization in biopharma hiring, with modest gains in job postings, slowing layoffs, and cautiously improving sentiment heading into 2026.
BioSpace’s Q3 2025 U.S. Life Sciences Job Market Report reveals a turbulent quarter for biopharma hiring, with record declines in job postings, rising layoffs, and cautious employer sentiment shaping the industry’s employment landscape.
Now Hiring
Looking for an IT job? From data engineer to information security, check out the BioSpace list of 10 companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
More biopharma organizations were actively recruiting at the end of 2025 than 2024, based on the new BioSpace employment outlook report. Areas in demand this year include research and development and clinical. Organizations are also prioritizing artificial intelligence hires.
Looking for a research and development job? Check out the BioSpace list of 12 companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Career Advice
If workloads aren’t adjusted as needed, the company’s priorities are already compromised. Executive coach Angela Justice explores what happens when goals move forward without removing unnecessary work and what to do about it.
THE LATEST
Looking for a job in oncology? Check out the BioSpace list of nine companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
Looking for a biopharma job in Boston? Check out the BioSpace list of six companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
With layoffs happening at biopharma companies of all sizes, some may wonder which jobs are safest. Talent acquisition experts spoke to BioSpace about the areas and roles they recommend to biotech and pharma professionals hoping to avoid staff cuts.
Looking for a biopharma job in Pennsylvania? Check out the BioSpace list of six companies hiring life sciences professionals like you.
The Trump administration’s recently announced fee for new H-1B visa petitions is “completely unreasonable,” an immigration attorney told BioSpace. Attorneys and talent acquisition experts discuss how the fee could impact biopharma and confusion around the proclamation.
Talent acquisition leaders at leading pharma and biotech organizations are leveraging technologies, including automation, to develop internal talent marketplaces and systems that support upskilling and reskilling their workforce. BioSpace spoke to leaders at Pfizer and Bayer about their evolving approach to resourcing.
Building and scaling biopharma workforces can go beyond recruiting permanent employees to include fractional workers and consultants. A Slone Partners executive discusses how these blended workforces operate, highlighting the strategic benefits.
This year, Novo Nordisk and Merck announced significant layoffs, with Novo planning to axe about 9,000 employees and Merck projecting it could let go of roughly 6,000. Meanwhile, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis and Pfizer have also made noteworthy cuts.
The biopharma job market remains challenging, based on BioSpace data. In August, job postings live on the website dropped 32% year over year. In addition, during the first eight months of 2025, over 26,000 people were laid off or projected to be laid off.
As Novo Nordisk cuts 9,000 people from its organization in a restructuring effort, BioSpace looks back on the Danish pharma company’s rise.