Big Pharma recruitment – big problem

July 22nd, 2022 | Industry News

A recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics report says that demand for people to work in physical, life and social sciences is predicted to grow by 7% by 2028, faster than all other occupations. this is in part driven by the convergence of life-sciences and technology and especially by the way that the pandemic has driven the work of the pharmaceutical industry into new places at rapid paces. All this is happening at a time when vacancy rates in the sector are high.

It’s a challenging industry and web-based recruitment software reveals that both sides of the pharma industry: research and marketing – are equally short staffed. Why? Because the demand for science trained individuals who are good with people is a double ask. Given that recruitment generally is looking at more vacancies than candidates, even the best recruitment crm is going to struggle to identify enough STEM candidates with great people skills to satisfy the sector

So what can pharma do to recruit?

Having a small candidate pool can work in the sector’s favour. Using social media to report on successes and applaud team members can be a great way to boost the organisation’s profile with potential candidates. Recruitment management software can use this approach to inform potential candidates about employers, and given that recruitment consultants are often engaging with people who aren’t ready to move but are considering moving, this can be a great precursor to having the right candidate show up for a key position six months or so down the line, just because they had come to associate your organisation with good work and a supportive environment.

Hiring for fit is vital. Working with a clear-eyed recruitment agency can help an organisation take off its blinkers and see itself clearly. The key here is company culture – allowing somebody else to look at how you operate can be the best way to reduce turnover of employees, and good retention is much cheaper, and more effective, than rapid recruitment.

Recruitment has become a business priority

In a survey of 1,000 employers, 83% stated that recruitment had moved from being a human resources issue to becoming a business success issue. The work of talent acquisition and HR is in the spotlight but the lack of candidates and the tough market conditions are making their work harder than ever. Effective recruitment database software can be the answer – allowing professionals to automate many tasks, leaving them free to focus on spending time with candidates and engaging with their organisation to ensure they are recruiting for best fit.