As the world grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, the pharmaceuticals sector has been busier than most as the sector desperately tries to develop a vaccine. Hence when analyzing the 2020 activity so far we see that monthly vacancy activity this year so far is down 32% in the UK, which is a significantly greater dip than any of the EU27 countries.
While the Pharmaceutical industry has proven to be more resilient against the impact of the COVID-19 crisis than others, it has not been immune. Indeed, the most immediate impact seems to have been on …
Other key snapshots include:
– When analysed by country, Belgium and Switzerland have seen significant increases in activity this year so far
– By sector, whilst still small by comparison to others, proportionately there has been a big uplift within biotechnology
– GSK is a company to watch, with hiring up by over 100% on last year for regulatory professionals.
With the UK now about to leave the EU, the pressure on procurement and supply chains is likely to intensify shortly, as businesses re-organise to the new paradigm.
Also factor that in a recent survey of Chief Procurement Officers by Deloitte, 51% of leaders believe their current teams do not have sufficient skills and capabilities to deliver on their procurement strategy.
Within large pharmaceuticals companies, hiring for procurement professionals has actually been falling. What has been driving this change?
Key take-aways:
The UK has seen steady growth in medical affairs positions since 2016, with the average for vacancies in 2018 so far rising 14.2% from 2017, and figures rising 13.2% in 2017.
It is worth noting that when looking across continental Europe, growth has outpaced that of the UK, with vacancies up 27% in Benelux and 41% in Germany for example.
Whilst the UK has had the most medical vacancies for Q1 2018 to what extent will the UK’s pharmaceutical industry manage to continue this trend if there is a hard Brexit?
