Job Trends

FDA
The latest cuts, which are part of a larger reduction of 10,000 at the Department of Health and Human Services, were reportedly underway Tuesday, with CDER Office of New Drugs Director Peter Stein added to the list of casualties.
Labor Market Reports
The life sciences job market continues to shift. BioSpace’s Q2 2025 U.S. Life Sciences Job Market Report is now available, offering exclusive insights into the latest hiring trends, layoffs, and workforce dynamics across the life sciences industry.
Year-over-year BioSpace data show biopharma professionals faced increased competition for fewer employment opportunities during the first quarter of 2025.
The 9% average salary increase from 2023 to 2024 was the largest for life sciences professionals since 2021. Several factors could be behind the spike, including companies providing higher pay because bonuses and stock compensation went down.
Now Hiring
Looking for regulatory jobs in the biopharma industry? Check out the BioSpace list of seven top companies hiring for these critical roles.
If you’re a life sciences professional in the Genetown hotbed (Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding areas of Massachusetts) and are looking for your next challenge, take a look at these companies hiring on BioSpace.
If you’re a sales professional looking for a new position, here are some companies currently looking to fill sales roles on BioSpace.
Career Advice
Preparation is key to ensuring one stands out in an increasingly competitive job market. We asked an expert for tips.
THE LATEST
ImmunityBio will lay off 16 employees in California and said it expects to need more funding to commercialize Anktiva, approved in April for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Astellas Gene Therapies is closing its San Francisco biomanufacturing facility, shifting gene therapy manufacturing to North Carolina, cutting at least 17 employees and affecting dozens more.
Last week, BioMarin revealed changes to its C-suite; now, the company has announced its second round of layoffs this year, following the termination of 170 employees in May.
Genentech’s latest layoffs are the second round of workforce reductions this year, following the company’s announcement in April that it was letting go around 3% of employees.
For reasons including downsizing, avoiding retirement and a tight labor market, senior-level biopharma professionals are increasingly turning to fractional roles, according to two recruitment experts.
Massachusetts’ biopharma jobs increased 2.6% in 2023, according to the MassBio Industry Snapshot. Whether the state’s jobs grow in 2024 remains to be seen based on this year’s layoffs and seemingly slowed hiring based on BioSpace data.
The Switzerland layoffs are the latest in Bayer’s 2024 workforce reductions, which already include 1,500 people and nearly half of the executive leadership team.
Aadi Bioscience expects that pipeline adjustments and the workforce reduction will extend its cash runway into at least the second half of 2026.

Lykos will lay off approximately three-quarters of its staff amidst a reorganization aimed at helping the company complete a regulatory resubmission for its MDMA-assisted therapy.
Workforce reductions for the first half of August outpace May, June and July’s monthly totals.