Labor market

Seven in 10 U.S. hiring managers say their company usually considers employing overqualified applicants, according to a survey from Express Employment Professionals and The Harris Poll. However, 75% of employers believe such hires struggle to stay motivated in lower-level roles.

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.

Due largely to CSL, Merck and Novo Nordisk’s reorganizations that could total about 19,350 people, Q3 cuts rose significantly year over year and quarter over quarter, based on BioSpace tallies.

Biopharma professionals aren’t typically hired right away, based on a BioSpace LinkedIn poll. In the past year, only about one-third of respondents found employment in three months or less. Several who did share their keys to success.

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.

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.